NELSON town centre will be without a Christmas tree this year because there is no where to put it.

The cone tree that usually stands between HSBC and Wilkinsons in Manchester Road can’t go up this year because of the work going on to reopen the street to traffic.

Instead LED lights are to be put on natural trees in the town centre, including trees in Market Street that weren’t decorated last year.

Traders said they were disappointed at the lack of a tree but understood the decision.

They have called for extra decorations to make up the loss so shoppers still get in the festive mood.

Coun Eileen Ansar, who runs Slick clothes shop, said: “We were really upset about it at first and looked at every single option to keep it.

“But there is absolutely nowhere it can go, it just can’t be wired up anywhere else.

“I wasn’t very pleased about it but the production of the road has to take priority, and there is no way possible it can go up in that area.

“We had highway engineers and other officers out, we put them through there paces but there was just no alternative.”

A spokesman for Pendle Council said: “The only Christmas decoration we’re not putting up this year is the cone tree in Nelson town centre.

“This is because of the very important work going on to reopen the high street through the town.

“However, the trees along either side of Market Street and on Memorial Square have been adorned with LED lights.”

The trees on Market Street will be lit up for the first time as they were deemed to young to be able to hold a set of lights last Christmas.

Coun Ansar said: “We are as happy as we can be that we tried everything to get a tree up.

“But there will still be lots of lights and decorations in the town centre.”

In total Pendle Council’s bill for its Christmas lights across the borough has dropped from £127,000 to £84,000 this year but bosses said this was because Christmas decorations were already in place.

In Burnley the budget is around the same as last year at £40,000 and Rossendale’s costs this year total £20,000, down from £26,000.

The Valley’s council leader Tony Swain said: “In the current financial climate we feel that this is the right balance between getting good value for money for tax payers and supporting local traders by making our towns welcoming and Christmassy for shoppers and visitors.”