Christmas lights staying up all year round in Hythe have come under fire this week after a resident said they make the town look neglected during the summer months.

The lights in the Town Square on top of the Aldi supermarket in the High Street are left up all year while others such as ones on the Town Hall are removed.

Along with the town’s Christmas trees, the lights are organised by volunteers from the Hythe Business and Tourism Association (HBTA) and are provided by funds raised from traders throughout the town and supplemented by small grants from Hythe Town Council.

Resident Kevin Wollterton said he really appreciates the work done by HBTA but questioned whether the lights should be left up outside of the festive season.

“If you have a budget to put up Christmas decorations then it should include taking them down after” - Kevin Wollterton

He said: “The Christmas decorations are great and at Christmas give the town a great seasonal feel but I just think leaving these decorations up gives the town a tatty look which is such a shame as Hythe is such a nice place.

“There are many associations and individuals that do a great job of making and keeping Hythe a nice place and they deserve praise and appreciation.

“If you have a budget to put up Christmas decorations then it should include taking them down after.”

But HBTA says it is “not economic” for them to take the lights down every year while the lights are removed from the Town Hall because of a planning restriction in place.

Steve Way, chairman of HBTA, said: “It was not the intention, certainly not the wish, of the association to keep the decorations in the Town Square lit beyond Christmas and the New Year.

“They are still on because we do not have funds to remove them. Lights were put up last year with the assistance of a cherry-picker provided as a goodwill gesture by a local trader. This service is not always available.

“It is not economic for us to hire a cherry-picker especially to take them down. We agree, of course, that in an ideal – and fully-funded world – the decorations should be taken down and re-erected annually. We are looking at the situation and hope that a satisfactory solution can be found.”

What do you think of the lights being up all year round? Let us know in the comments.

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