Christmas lights under threat

Britain could be facing a bleak mid-winter as the cost of following health and safety rules is forcing councils to consider scrapping Christmas lights, business leaders have warned.

Stringent new regulations and increased insurance premiums have pushed the price of a modest festive display to as much as £25,000, and out of the reach of many town budgets.



This year councils must use a pressure gauge to individually test every bolt holding a cable or light fitting to a wall.

Only fully insured professionals can hang the lights and workers must use expensive hydraulic platforms to do the job because ladders are not deemed safe.
Traders in Elgin near Aberdeen in Scotland, have got round the problem by keeping the lights up all year round - because they cost £25,000 to put up and take down.