A HAGLEY estate agent has received an apology from the person who vandalised his Christmas decorations.

CCTV footage of three young men - two of whom were pictured pulling the lights off the tree outside Walton and Hipkiss in Worcester Road - has been viewed by thousands on Facebook and estate agent boss Andrew Hipkiss hoped those responsible might feel a pang of guilt and be prompted to apologise for the incident.

Officers have since identified the individual involved who has paid to replace the damaged lights and has sent a written apology to the owner.

Inspector Mark Chappell said: “Whilst in the grand scheme of things this was a relatively small incident we could see by the comments online that our local community were disappointed by this mindless damage. Therefore we took a proactive but proportionate approach to identifying the man involved and, we hope, returning some Christmas cheer to the village.”

Mr Hipkiss, a volunteer with the Wyre Forest branch of search and rescue organisation SARA (Severn Area Rescue Association), previously says he is overwhelmed by the messages of support he has received.

He said: "I just put the footage on social media and the reaction was enormous. People have shared this 1,587 times.

"It's nice knowing that people care. It's probably the most protected Christmas tree in Hagley.

"At the end of the day it was £30 worth of lights that the gentleman has now paid for."

Mr Hipkiss says that the perpetrator's apology was "very sincere".

He added: "I don't think he will be doing the same thing again."