Town steals march on Christmas light thieves

A TOWN in England has become the first in the world this year to put up Christmas lights, 120 days before the day.

Tenterden in Kent has decorated a tree with about 1 500 lights that will remain lit for the next four months until Christmas Day.

The display has gone up early to encourage people to donate money to raise £15 000 (about R238 000) to replace lights stolen last year.

The lights were put up during a downpour that followed Britain’s hottest summer in seven years.

Jonathan Medes of the town’s chamber of commerce said the lights went up with the help of a tree surgeon to ensure they were secure. “The lights used to just get hung in the trees, but this year we’ve gone for putting them up the stem and around the branches and securing them,” he said.

“We’ve got them all up and ready, and I think we will leave them up until Christmas now. We thought if we put some lights up to engage people’s interest, it would help with the fundraising.

“It’s really important to have this display for the community. In previous years, trees on both sides of the street have been lit up, but last year we were left in the dark with nothing.”

He said he hoped a further nine trees would be decorated and that most of the display would be under way by October.

All the town’s Christmas lights were stolen from a store at a local fire station before organisers could put up the display last year, leaving them with just a few small trees decorated with emergency lights.