Town's 'half-dead' Christmas tree to be replaced

A town centre's bedraggled Christmas tree is to be exchanged for a spruced-up pine after the local council branded it a "disgrace".

The forlorn fir, with droopy, thin branches and browning needles, was placed in the market place in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, on Tuesday - several weeks before it needed to look its best for the festive season.

Passers-by told the BBC the "half dead" display was a waste of money, and compared it to March town centre's wonky tree, which became a surprise viral hit in 2023.

The town council said the extremely dry summer had affected the growth and health of taller trees, with the supplier asked to provide a replacement.

The Christmas tree's lower branches have been trailing on the ground from day one

Autumn Taylor, 72, of Thorney Toll said the tree looked "terrible".

"It looks half dead - Wisbech deserves something better," she added.

"The branches - some are brown, some are green, some are broken off, it's way past its sell-by date.

"Wisbech has wasted its money."

Autumn Taylor was not impressed

Horsefair security guard Kevin Allen suggested a quick remedy

Kevin Allen, 51, suggested that chopping the tree in half could solve the problem.

"If they chucked the bottom half in the skip the top half would be ok," he said.

Asked if he recalled the infamous tree in March, he said: "Yes, the wonky tree - this one could be called the scabby tree.

"It looks really bad - I know we've had a really dry summer but it's not looking good."

Darren Wenlock thought the sad tree was a sign of the times

Darren Wenlock, 60, took a different view.

"It epitomises where we are in the country; it doesn't surprise me - it looks like we're cash-strapped, and local authorities are," he said.

Town clerk Terry Jordan said: "The Christmas tree which has been delivered to Wisbech this year is not of the quality which had been expected by the council.

"It is understood from the supplier that, because of the extremely dry weather conditions this year, the growth and health of taller trees, in excess of 30ft [9m] in height, have suffered.

"The council is arranging with the supplier for the provision of a replacement Christmas tree."

Last month, a grower in Lincolnshire warned customers to expect shorter Christmas trees with fewer branches following adverse weather conditions.

Wisbech Town Council posted images of the tree on Facebook and dubbed it a "disgrace"