‘Toerags’ steal Christmas decorations

Christmas grinches have been targeting Mosgiel homes.

Several people in the suburb reported having their Christmas lights and decorations damaged or stolen earlier this week.

One of those was Andrew Thompson, who said some decorations and a large inflatable were stolen on Monday night.

He has been putting up decorations and lights for about 20 years.

"The disappointing thing is there’s a lot of effort that goes into it," he said.

"And then these toerags come around."

Another Mosgiel resident, who asked not to be named, said she had a string of candy canes ripped off her fence, a large star that was cable-tied to a frame in a tree removed and several other items stolen.

"Ours wasn’t an elaborate show, just a nice wee display that the neighbourhood kids seemed to enjoy.

"This has been a crappy situation, not because of any monetary value but just the mean-spiritedness."

Sergeant Boyd Smart, of Dunedin, said several incidents had been reported to police.

No arrests had been made in relation to the thefts.

"We’d like to encourage homeowners to keep security top of mind in and around properties, and to report any suspicious activity to police," he said.

Anyone with any information was asked to contact police.