Pine in the neck: Thief steals Christmas tree from garden

Sarah Yardley said she was "bewildered by the audacity" of the theft

A woman has told of her shock after a thief chopped down and stole a fir tree growing in her front garden.

Sarah Yardley, from Wadebridge, Cornwall, said she was hosting a Christmas party on Friday night when an unknown person entered her property and sawed the tree down.

Ms Yardley said one of her guests saw someone "dragging away" half of the tree.

She said it was possible the person who took it "simply could not afford Christmas this year".

Stumped: Sarah Yardley said she didn't know who had stolen the tree

"It's probably an indication of somebody more in need than they realise," she told BBC Radio Cornwall.

"My only conclusion is that some neighbour simply could not afford Christmas this year, felt compelled to hop the fence and take a tree from my garden.

"If any of my neighbours or a member of the community had been in genuine need, I would have happily given them a tree or gone to go and buy one for them."

Ms Yardley said the tree was originally about 10ft (3m) tall but the thief only chopped about half of it down.

She said she was "bewildered by the audacity" of the theft but had not yet reported it to police.

"It's been a bit of a whirlwind..." she said.

"What a bold move to come and harvest a tree from your neighbour's garden.

"It is a bit cheeky.

"[But] one can't get overly troubled by a tree."