Traders take dim view of festive lights

Two of the three main shopping streets decided it was to be a humbug Christmas without festive lights to celebrate the season.

Now Rother council is to provide three large glittering trees to bring at least a little Christmas cheer to the streets.

The Town Centre and Tourism Action Group is also providing a spectacular 10,000 Christmas Festival extravaganza on December 15.

But there will be no traditional overhead lighting in Western Road and Devonshire Road.

With less than four weeks to go before December 25 the Observer learned the lights were out for all but Sackville Road and the Marina.

Reasons included: The lights were costly, old and faulty; there was no-one to put them up and maintain them and no-one had the manpower for the time-consuming organisation.

Retailers were encouraged instead to "make an extra effort with their window displays".