FESTIVE lights which caught fire in Wellington town centre last Christmas, two days after they were officially switched on, will not be replaced this year.

An electrical fault was blamed when a cross-wire string of lights above South Street caught alight and dropped molten metal onto the road in December of last year.

Nobody was injured in the incident, which was attended by Wellington firefighters, although the fire was out before they arrived.

Now, town councillors have been told permission has been refused by a shop owner for that particular string of lights to be replaced as part of this year’s Christmas display.

How the new Christmas lights will look in Wellington.
There will be fewer Christmas lights in Wellington town centre this year. (Tindle News)

Council facilities manager Annette Kirk said: “Following discussions with the relevant shop owner, permission has not been granted to replace that section of lighting for 2026, including the curtain lighting on that property.”

Ms Kirk said electrical testing would be carried out on consumer boards to which the Christmas lights displays were attached, and stress testing of cables supporting cross street banners, to ensure they were safe and fit for purpose before the lights were installed.

Councillors were being asked to extend an agreement by one year with its lights supplier, Events Power Engineering, to cover Christmas this year at a cost of £19,000.

Ms Kirk said a three-year, £57,000 deal expired this month and extending it would allow a ‘new but comparable’ lighting scheme to be installed for one year only.

She said the company advised the ‘normal lifespan’ of a lighting scheme was three years and it had recommended introducing a new scheme for 2026.

Proposals could then be developed in the New Year for a competitive tender process and timetable which would allow councillors elected in the May, 2027, elections to decide what arrangements they wanted to have in place and for how long.