CITY'S CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS HANGING ON

Nice piece in today's Leicester Mercury about the Christmas decorations still up in the city centre. My son Harry and I had been talking earlier today about how many of these are still up. We were wondering if the cuts on council spending mean that some of them might just be left up all year, but not switched on. I like the comment in the article below about the "Eastern Rights Christmas celebrations". That's what made me think it worthwhile to put it in the blog. The photo above was taken by James O'Malley in 2005 - but that sign on the front of the Town Hall is there today (not continuously for the last five years though!)

City's Christmas decorations hanging on 

Christmas decorations are still being removed from parts of Leicester city centre.

Although Twelfth Night – the traditional time to take them down – was more than a week ago, some of the city council's festive displays are still hanging.

Leicester City Council has yet to remove decorations from near the Highcross shopping centre, Humberstone Gate and Belvoir Street. Clear-up work also remained incomplete yesterday in the High Street and the Lanes.

A council spokesman said: "The majority of the city centre decorations were switched off on twelfth night – January 6, but we always leave some on in the Town Hall Square for the Eastern Rights Christmas celebrations.

"We are in the process of taking the rest of them down but, as they are put up over a two-month period, we can't take them down instantly.

"We are taking them down overnight or on Sundays to keep disruption to pedestrians and traffic to a minimum, and expect them to be all removed by the end of next weekend."

Yesterday, shoppers in the city centre were still noticing the decorations.

Glenfield resident Karen Edeson, 49, said "I suppose these things just take time. The council will probably get around to it eventually."

But Steve Brookes, 63, said: "It's completely inappropriate to have them up after the Christmas period. Some residents, however, have taken a much more patient view."