A primary school just outside Marlborough is fundraising for help after thieves stole its loaned Christmas trees worth hundreds.

Preshute Primary School hosted a hugely successful Christmas Fayre on Saturday, November 25, but staff and parent volunteers woke up the next morning to find that five of the school's 16 potted Christmas trees had been stolen.

The stolen trees, which total a cost of £284, were on loan from Dobbies Garden Centre and were set to be returned after use, which has now left the school in a tricky situation.

“We were extremely shocked to discover that five out of the 16 Christmas trees had been stolen overnight,” said Flo Hanson, co-chair of the Preshute Primary School Association.

“Why anyone would enter school property illegally is beyond me, but then to go on and steal five Christmas trees is just unbelievable.

“Dobbies have been extremely understanding and given us until the end of the week to try to find out what has happened to them, but we do now owe them hundreds for the trees.

“We do not want the children or the school to suffer as a result of this theft, and we also do not feel it’s fair on Dobbies to take the hit either,” she explained.

The school association has now set up a JustGiving page to fundraise the cost of the stolen trees, and staff say they could not be more grateful for the community’s support.

Wiltshire Police have been informed of the theft, but any members of the public who have seen anything suspicious should contact police.