Britain’s Christmas decorations woe continues after only half the tree lights were turned on in Westminster while locals brand giant reindeer sculptures ‘showing their rear ends’ at a Kent war memorial ‘an insult’

• Have you seen WORSE decorations? Email [email protected] 

Festive Brits feel they’re being ‘Scrooged over’ by pathetic Christmas displays, with fuming locals in London and Kent becoming the latest to lash out this week. 

Westminster’s annual Christmas tree switch-on at the Houses of Parliament turned into a farce on Tuesday, with only half the lights switching on. 

The half-cocked display was later fixed but not before it sparked a slew of snarky comments online, after footage of the illumination gaffe went viral.

‘Is there anything that isn’t totally s*** anymore??,’ wrote one person on X, formerly Twitter, with another adding: ‘If the government were Christmas lights it would be this…’

In Dover, a giant pair of illuminated reindeer hit a ‘bum note’ with locals, who raged the sculptures ‘showing their rear ends’ at a war memorial were an ‘insult’.

Have you seen WORSE decorations? Email [email protected] 

Half-cocked: Only one side of the Westminster’s Christmas tree turned on at this week’s grand annual festive event

Dover’s reindeer decorations hit a bum note in the town – with locals complaining that the sculptures’ bottoms were facing out at them

The flashy festive structures were installed at Biggin Street, Dover, around the monument which ‘honours all’ from the town who have died during conflicts. 

Outraged local Nick Doel said he hated the sculptures’ positioning, telling KentOnline: ‘I would have thought the heads should have been facing the public, not the rear ends

‘It’s a little bit of an insult, I think. God knows why they put them like that.’

Another Kent local added: ‘It’s a bit of an insult to the people of Dover. It’s showing the back ends of reindeer. Why didn’t they have it so their heads are at the front so they can see it and they’re looking at the people of Dover?’ 

Although not everyone was angry. Alice Ferry, who was with her son Rory Murphy in the south-coast port town, said: ‘I think they’re pretty.’

Nick Doel said he hated the sculptures’ positioning by Dover war memorial and said ‘it’s an insult’

But Alice Ferry, who was with her son Rory Murphy, thought the illuminations were ‘pretty’

The flashy festive structures were installed at Biggin Street, Dover, around the monument which ‘honours all’ from the town who have died during conflicts

The lacklustre displays are the latest to be mocked this week. On Thursday fuming locals in Willenhall, West Midlands, slammed their town’s Christmas tree.

The red-faced residents lashed out at the spindly 20ft tree with no baubles or decorations and said it looked like a ‘beanstalk’.  

The skinny tree was put on the Lock Worker’s Memorial by a busy junction next to an off-licence and a line of takeaways.

It was installed late last month by Walsall Council, but failed to impress after only featuring a string of lights dangling from a few branches. 

The ‘pathetic’ attempt at the Christmas tree has infuriated locals, who say it makes residents in the town look like scrooges.

Patricia Walton, 75, said: ‘It’s absolutely pathetic, each year it keeps getting worse, smaller and smaller.

Locals in Willenhall, West Midlands, were left furious with their town’s show of festive spirit after their Christmas tree appeared bleakly under decorated

Patricia Walton, 75 (pictured), said: ‘It’s absolutely pathetic, each year it keeps getting worse, smaller and smaller’

‘Walsall is just as bad, Darlaston is bad, but this, they might as well have not bothered putting one up.

‘They haven’t even got the children decorating it this year, and I can’t see people coming and looking at this.

‘There’s no baubles or tinsel on the tree either. It needs to be a bit smaller and much bushier. It looks more like a beanstalk than a Christmas tree.’

Resident Darren Rowe, 25, said: ‘It’s a bit of joke to call that a Christmas tree. 

‘It hardly puts you in the festive spirit. It’s tall but not exactly decorated. It’s a shame.’

Councillor Simran Cheema, who represents Willenhall South, said the skinny tree was a ‘shadow’ of the one displayed last year.

She said: ‘My biggest disappointment and frustration with the council is that previous years we have had a bigger and better tree.

Resident Darren Rowe, 25, said: ‘It’s a bit of joke to call that a Christmas tree’

The spindly 20ft tree was put on the Lock Worker’s Memorial by a busy junction next to an off-licence and a line of takeaways

‘It attracted people to the town and brings a festive feeling. It used to be situated outside the Wetherspoon. It was right in the centre and everyone could see it when they drove past.

This one is tucked away in the corner and they moved the location without consulting any of the ward councillors. It’s a bit of a disappointment really, people were expecting better and we’ve had better in previous years.

‘The Christmas Grinch has taken our festive feeling.’

Walsall Council defended the tree, saying this year they were using ‘more sustainable’ firs.

Walsall Council defended the tree, saying this year they were using ‘more sustainable’ firs

Deputy leader councillor Adrian Andrew said: ‘This year, the council have replaced the majority of cut Christmas trees with planted trees which are more sustainable option.

‘Every effort has been made to provide comparable sized trees and the illumination is consistent with previous years.

‘In some instances, it has been necessary to change the location of the trees as planted trees cannot be installed where there are underground services or where ongoing maintenance may not be practicable.

‘The council are happy to support community switch on events and this year has been no exception.

‘Where we have been approached to time the switch on of lights around community lead Christmas event, we have done so.’

Elsewhere in the city, Saddlers, a small shopping centre in Walsall displays a bare sleigh alongside a diminutive tree.

Last month residents in the Kent town of Deal slammed the size of their Christmas tree, saying: ‘You can get bigger ones in Poundland.’

Dover District Council’s council’s leader admitted the wrong tree had been delivered for the town’s Christmas centrepiece.

Have you seen WORSE decorations? Email [email protected] 

Source: Read Full Article