SANTA’S Grotto in a popular shopping centre in Northern Ireland was destroyed after teens broke in to attempt to steal money.
The disgraceful incident occurred at Castlecourt Shopping Centre in Belfast on Friday evening at approximately 11pm.
Three teenager girls broke into the Christmas zone and “ransacked” the place.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has been alerted about the incident.
A spokesperson said: “Police received a report of criminal damage in a shopping centre in Belfast city centre on Friday 20 December.
“It was reported that, at approximately 11.35pm, three young girls had caused significant damage to a Santa’s Grotto.”
It was believed that they attempted to steal money from the tills but realized that it was empty, which resulted in them allegedly destroying the Santa Grotto.
It was reported that presents initially for children were ripped open, cola poured over Santa’s chair, and the Christmas zone interior destroyed during the incident.
The shopping centre spokesperson expressed heartbreak and disappointment at the damage done to the grotto, especially during the busiest time of the holidays.
And they also paid gratitude to the wonderful cleaning team who restored the it in time for the busy weekend.
In a statement published on Saturday, they wrote: “Last night, at 10pm, three teenagers broke into our Santa’s grotto to attempt to steal money from the tills.
“Once they realised the tills were empty (as they are every night) they ransacked the grotto, pouring Coke all over Santa’s chair, tearing open all the presents and toys, trashing the interior.
“Thank you to our amazing cleaning team who have worked tirelessly to restore the grotto before one of our busiest Saturdays of the year.
“Two things to note. We have full CCTV coverage of the three people who sadly are too young for us to post.
“The teenagers ran off when rumbled by our security team onsite.
“The police have reviewed this footage and taken a report.
‘BEHAVIOUR IS DISGRACEFUL’
“Castlecourt puts huge effort into running our grotto every year, complete with charitable donations from the grotto that we normally don’t mention.
“If we spot the culprits in the centre, we will be calling the police. This behaviour is disgraceful and will not be tolerated.”
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is investigating the incident and urging people who may have any information to contact the police.
This can be done by calling 101, quoting the reference number 317 21/12/24 or using the online reporting form on the PSNI website.
The information can also be shared via Crimestoppers anonymously online.