People in the town rallied to buy the tree, which has been displayed each Christmas for three years.

The aluminium structure, which has thousands of LED lights, was targeted at 1am on Wednesday.

Three vandals cut through a power lead and support cables before pushing it over, causing it to smash through a white picket fence.

The incident was captured by security cameras at nearby businesses. 

Bright and District Chamber of Commerce president Tom Smith said the incident “left a sour taste” in his mouth, especially given the hard work of volunteers to install the display each year.

“Everyone who saw it knocked over was quite upset,” he said. 

“Everyone’s disappointed. 

“There are a few wires that are broken on it and it will be a fair old job to fix it.”

The tree is worth $17,500 but was purchased by the chamber of commerce for $7500. 

“We’ve spent a lot of time, money and effort,” Mr Smith said.

“The town all got behind it and to have it ruined like that is not the best feeling.”

Senior Constable Sam McIntosh said police had retrieved CCTV footage which showed three offenders.

“It’s absolutely pointless,” he said.

“It’s just disgusting behaviour at Christmas time. 

“It's a deliberate act of vandalism.

“The offenders can come and see us before we come and see them.

“I'm not sure if it's random or if they've got an agenda, but it's just stupid and pointless.”

The damage is estimated to be about $5000. 

The tree was partially repaired on Wednesday and a full damage assessment will be done once it's removed. 

Residents and business owners also expressed disappointment. 

“It's an unfortunate thing to have happen,” nearby newsagent Brian King said. 

Senior Constable McIntosh is appealing for anyone with information to call police or Crime Stoppers. 

It followed a vandalism incident at nearby Centenary Park last Thursday. 

Signs were pulled down at the park and two youths were seen leaving the area about 9pm.