CHRISTMAS lights in a Herefordshire town have already started going up, causing confusion among those who say October is too early.

With the switch-on not scheduled until November 26, some people in Ledbury have been wondering why the lights are already up.

Ledbury Town Council issued a statement saying that they were installing the lights in October to ensure that they would be up in time for the official switch-on. This comes after outrage last year when locals were unhappy with the small size of the town’s Christmas tree. There were also issues with lights glitching at last year's switch-on.

A spokesperson said: “As you can appreciate there are only a handful of companies who provide lights. It is necessary to install the lights from October onwards. As our lights switch is at the end of November, we were scheduled for installation early this year to ensure any issues that occur like those experienced last year are resolved in good time.”

Last year, the town council blamed hot weather and drought over the summer for the disappointingly tiny Christmas tree, saying there was a shortage of larger trees. It wasn’t until December 8 that a replacement tree was brought in and decorated for Christmas.

However, the process of putting Christmas decorations up began at a similar time last year, with the lights going up in October.

In a discussion about decorations at a town council meeting in 2022, Councillor Elizabeth Harvey said that if the lights didn't go up in October, they wouldn't go up until January because of contractors' availability.

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The owner of a local business, Patricia Harrison who runs Ceci Paolo on Ledbury High Street, said that she is relieved the lights are not being switched on yet, despite having been installed.

“The switch-on this year is on November 26. Switching them on now would be ridiculous and people would be Christmassed out by Christmas,” she said.

For shoppers who are still clinging onto the remains of summer weather amid the recent mini-heatwave, Ceci Paolo is selling locally made goats’ milk gelato. Or, for those who are already getting into the festive spirit, Ceci Paolo has a range of products from independent brands as well as delicious local food and is open for shoppers who are getting ahead with their Christmas shopping to stop by and browse. The shop is especially proud of its artisan jams and marmalades which achieved success at the Great Taste Awards.