Council's Christmas tree chopped by its own safety rule

A council has been forced to chop part of its Christmas tree off in order to meet its own health and safety rules.

The tree in Llanelli town centre is now 20% shorter than before after workmen had to remove branches from its bottom and drop it into a 5ft (1.5m) hole to make it secure.

One local nicknamed it the "bonsai Christmas tree" as it is now shorter than surrounding trees.

Carmarthenshire council has apologised for any disappointment.

Local people complained about the 20ft (6m) tree online.

Dave Glover wrote: "I've got bigger weeds growing outside my property."

Sarah Williams complained the tree was "getting smaller every year" while another said: "Pathetic. Size really does matter with Christmas trees."

A Carmarthenshire council spokeswoman said: "We are sorry if people are disappointed that it is not as large as those we have had in the past.

"The tree had to be anchored five foot under the ground due to safety reasons.

"It meant that around four foot of branches had to be cut off to accommodate this.

"We can assure people that Christmas in Llanelli will still be a magical time."