Council threatens to cancel Christmas lights unless flags are taken dow

One UK village could be without lights this festive season.

Say it's not so...

The lights display in a village in Kent could be cancelled due to union and St George's flags being put up over the summer, a parish council has warned.

Previously, permission has been granted for Christmas lights to be erected on the A20 as it runs through Harrietsham, to the east of Maidstone, however, this year it comes with a condition.

The Reform-led Kent County Council (KCC) outlined that all flags attached to lampposts along the route must be taken down in order for the lights to go up.

Harrietsham Parish Council (HPC) said this could mean the display might not happen this year as removing the flags isn’t part of the lighting contractor’s job, and public funds can’t cover the extra cost.

HPC is now calling on those who put up the flags to now remove them at the risk of, well, being a Grinch.

The parish council commented: "We are hoping that whoever installed the flags will be able to remove them in due course to allow for the festive lights to be installed as planned.

"The Parish Council felt it was important to make residents aware of the potential implications as early as possible, given the short timescales involved for the Christmas lighting installation."

KCC further advised people to put safety first and not to scale lamp posts and tall structures.

Peter Osborne, Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport for KCC said: "Flags on streetlight columns pose a risk during installation, so they must be removed to ensure the lights go up safely and can be enjoyed by everyone."