By Conor Sharkey

THE woman dubbed 'Tyrone's biggest fan' has hit out at vandals who attacked and destroyed her Christmas garden display.

Mary McAleer is best known for adorning her Bridge Street home with Tyrone flags, mascots and placards championing her home county. For the festive period however, she decided to replace the red and white with a multitude of Christmas colour and cheer to brighten up the dull winter evenings.

Mary's Christmas spirit was dampened however, when vandals struck on Christmas night and again before New Year, stealing ornaments and pulling down decorations.

And while she was left to pick up the pieces this week, Mary remained defiant, vowing to come back next Christmas, bigger and brighter than ever.

She said: "Decorating the front of the house is just a hobby of mine and it gives me something to do. So, I always enjoy Christmas when I get the chance to dust off the lights and decorations and brighten the place up.

"But on Christmas night, a group of youngsters stole a snowman and a teddy bear wearing a Tyrone shirt from the garden. I got the snowman back but my Mickey Harte teddy was never found.

"Then a couple of days before the New Year, the house was targetted again. This time they pulled down the Christmas arch I had up and tried to steal a bench from the garden. I cried when I saw what they had done, because I put so much effort into it," she said. Following the destruction, Mary put a notice out an upstairs window, describing the vandals as 'scum'.

"I put the wrecking down to drink. Maybe whoever was behind it thought it was funny. But if this is what they call fun, they maybe they should take a long, hard look at themselves. But I won't be put off. Christmas maybe 12 months away, but I will be back next year, putting up more Christmas decorations and lights than I ever have," she promised.