Christmas lights ceremony banned for being popular

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Killjoys: The Christmas lights at Scarborough

It was a traditional event which attracted young and old to the streets of the seaside town.

But there will be no ceremonial switching-on of the Christmas lights at Scarborough this year.

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Ten thousand visitors came in December 2005 - but the fire service says that only a fifth of that number can safely attend.

So instead of turning families away - or face a compensation claim if someone was injured - council officials have cancelled the event altogether. Organisers suggested ways to make the ceremony next Sunday safer. But a council spokesman said: 'It could still seriously jeopardise the health and safety of those who come.'

The problems began when North Yorkshire Fire Service claimed the town centre could cope with only 2,000 visitors.

Scarborough is believed to be the first town to cancel its lights show. The decision has outraged residents, who yesterday condemned it as yet another intrusion of the 'nanny state'.

Penny Marsden, an independent councillor and shopkeeper, said the whole thing was 'a joke'.

She said: 'It is another result of the ill-thought-out regulations imposed by the Government. This is no football crowd and I would question whether there have been any problems down the years.

'This is a joyous occasion when children come out to enjoy the start of Christmas - and we are going to rob them of it.'

Town centre manager Malcolm Hall said he had tried to obtain anti-surge barriers and stewards, but had failed.

'We're all bitterly disappointed, but the health and safety of people is paramount,' he added.

'I appreciate how much disappointment this decision will cause, but it would be more disappointing if people had to be turned away because of restrictions on the numbers.'

Council chief executive Jim Dillon added: 'A vast amount of hard work by all parties has been carried out in looking at ways of staging the event safely, but we all feel the risks are far too great.'

It is not the first time Scarborough has enforced stringent health-and-safety guidelines. In September, police applied to ban a war veterans' annual march through the town unless they paid £300 for an insurance policy. The parade went ahead after a public outcry.

Last year in Bolton, JobCentre staff were banned from putting Christmas decorations on the office ceiling - as they apparently posed a health and safety hazard.

And in the market town of Beverley, East Yorkshire, officials decided that reindeer posed a hygiene risk to the thousands who turned out every year for a festive parade.

They said anyone who touched the animals - the parade's star attraction - should be made to wash their hands immediately. After much negotiation, it was decided the animals could take part after all. But an official walked alongside the reindeer, carrying antiseptic wipes.

 

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