Residents of a Lancashire town have resorted to putting their own baubles on the Christmas tree outside their local shopping centre after it was branded "pathetic."
The tree, standing at eight feet tall, appeared outside Arndale Shopping Centre in Morecambe after the town's Business Improvement District (BID) decided to inject some festive cheer into the area. But locals were left less-than-impressed, reports LancsLive.
The fed-up townspeople were quick to compare their decorations to those in nearby Lancaster, where visitors to the town centre are treated to an ice rink, a ferris wheel and a Tipi Bar, all put up in the run-up to December 25. By contrast, they said Morecambe's offering was "depressing," "dismal" and "an embarrassment" – some even said they "shouldn't have bothered."
READ MORE: Locals slam UK's worst Christmas tree – 'struck by lightning' to 'worse than Poundland'
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Taking to X (formerly Twitter), one user sarcastically quipped: "Great effort this year with the Christmas tree Morecambe #epicfail." Meanwhile other people even brought baubles and tinsel from home to adorn the sad sapling.
Morecambe BID hit back at attacks on their beloved fir and said it was the same conifer used every year. "The tree is the same as it is every year and we have never had complaints before. It is a plain Norwegian Fir, which we put lights on, but it is never intended to have decorations," John O'Neill, Morecambe BID manager, explained
"Some people have chosen to decorate it with a few baubles, but they have only done half the tree. It was never meant to be decorated – it is a very nice tree as it is."
He also added the town hosts a free light display along the Promenade, which will remain in place until February half term – when the town will mark the Baylight Festival 2024. By contrast, Lancaster's festive extravaganza is privately organised and visitors have to pay to get in, O'Neill added.
"People jump to conclusions about how these things work. We have put 24 very prominent LED cones down the Promenade as well as the tree, and it is all free for everyone," he continued.
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The Daily Star previously rounded up some of this year's early entrants for the worst Christmas tree in the UK. Some of the offerings, including a particularly sad-looking tree in Deal, have been replaced, while the controversial conifer that stands in London's Trafalgar Square every year received a 'branch transplant' to make sure it looked spectacular in time for the festive period.
A 70ft fir tree has been donated by Norway every year since 1947 and sits proudly on the one of capital's most famous landmarks throughout December, but always attracts mixed reviews – particularly when it first arrives. Westminster City Council confirmed branches had been removed back in Norway for transportation purposes before they were reattached in the Big Smoke.
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