Councillors in Wellington have pulled the plug on the town’s Christmas celebration because of the coronavirus pandemic.

They decided at their latest meeting to switch on the festive lights on the fourth Saturday before Christmas, November 28.

But most felt that would be without all the usual fanfare of Christmas lights night, usually attended by hundreds of people.

Cllr Marcus Barr said: “Covid-19 is still here and we don’t know where we are going to be in another two, three, four or five months. We could be into a second wave by November or December.

“We need to take decisive action and say we will have no gathering of people in large amounts.”

Concern had been previously expressed over the expense of the Christmas lights and Somerset West and Taunton Council’s final bill for last year was £22,738 net of VAT.

The cost of Christmas lights hire, public address system and roundabout hire had come to another £6,195. The three-year contract for the hire of the lights had ended and a new quote, including installing and removing the lights, had been received.

Cllr Barr added: “We put it out to tender [the lights hire] and get it done as cheaply as possible. This is public money and we cannot keep spending £30,000 on Christmas tree lights. It’s got to stop.” He also made a plea for lights at Rockwell Green, the ward he represents on the council. He said the area had not had any lights since 2010.

Cllr John Thorne was reluctant to call off Christmas lights night and joked: “When Cllr Barr becomes Mayor, we’ll have lights at Rockwell Green again, won’t we?”

Cllr Thorne added: “I find it a bit sad if we’re going to cancel Christmas, as he’s proposing. We don’t know what the situation is going to be in December at the moment.”

Cllr Thorne, who has also proposed a Christmas market, said the Government was looking at spectators being allowed at Premier League football games in October, so a Christmas event in Wellington would certainly be feasible.

Town Mayor Janet Lloyd said she did not want council staff spending time organising a Christmas event only for it later to be called off.

If an event was possible she felt it could be organised quickly and that she would prefer to wait and see what happens.

Ten councillors voted not to hold a Christmas event and one abstained.