Town's Christmas lights go up

The scheme is being funded over three years from the special expenses charge paid by Bexhill residents in addition to the Rother council tax levy.

The new lights replace those bought five years ago following an appeal among traders by the then town centre action group. The cross-street lights, designed by local school children, proved vulnerable to Bexhil's high winds and did not meet their anticipated ten-year life-span.

There was concern when the full council approved the scheme on October 12 that the lights would not be made and installed in time for the town's late-night shopping promotion on Friday, December 7.

But work started in Sackville Road yesterday on installing the new lamp post-mounted designs.

The lights are being installed and erected by Hastings-based Hannington, Gilbert and Co. Ltd., the firm which undertook the Museum, Colonnade and Clock Tower lighting contract earlier this year.

As staff worked from a hydraulic platform on a lamp post in Sackville Road, company director Clive Gilbert explained that preparatory work had included the installation of new electrical junction boxes at the base of each column and sockets at the top.

"That done, it will be a simple job each year to attach the Christmas lights and connect them."

Western Road, Devonshire Road and Devonshire Road will have a cross-lighting system.

In total, the new scheme will comprise 40 column-mounted light fittings in a variety of designs and 14 cross-lights plus the lighting of the big Christmas tree in Devonshire Square.

Mr Gilbert explained: "We will have done the first eight to ten today. Given good weather like today, we hope to have the system completed in about 10 days. They should certainly all be up by the end of the month.

"If the weather holds, we plan to do the cross-lights on Sundays because it means blocking the road."

Hannington Gilbert are also supplying and erecting the 16,000 Christmas lighting scheme for the Town Hall. This scheme is being funded from Rother council tax.