Wells-next-the-Sea crab pot Christmas tree is a festive hit

The tree made from about 120 crab and whelk pots took three days to build.

A seaside town has built a Christmas tree out of crab and whelk pots after lockdown restrictions meant its usual display could not happen.

The "tree" on the quayside in Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, is made from about 120 pots, donated by fishermen.

It took the harbour team three days to build and decorate after the traditional trees had to be cancelled.

Harbour commissioner Mel Catton said it "suits the town" and there had been an "phenomenal response".

"It's just gone down so well... we wanted to create some joy for the town and I think we've done that," he said.

Wells has been a port for about 600 years and while commercial cargo ships all but disappeared from the harbour in the 1990s, it still has a fishing fleet

In recent years, the town has had a Christmas festival where lights are put up in its streets and three 25 ft (7.6m) decorated trees go up along the quayside, a process that takes about two weeks to complete.

But volunteers were told they could not put any decorations up until after the second lockdown ended on 2 December.

"Eventually we were told we could put up the decorations [during lockdown] but by that time we had cancelled the trees and could not get them in time to make it worthwhile," said Mr Catton.

Harbour master Robert Smith came up with the alternative idea and approached the fishermen for donations and the structure has been decorated with lights, buoys and toy crabs and lobsters.

"It's brought the community together and they are demanding it for next year as well so I think it's inevitable that we'll have to do it again," Mr Catton said.