Upton Town Council in Worcestershire have been dubbed "the Grinch of Christmas", after refusing to erect a Christmas tree because of health and safety fears.
The 15ft high tree was planned by local businesses for the middle of the town centre, but their festive spirit was dampened after a row erupted over a wooden bench, which was placed in the spot where the tree has traditionally stood. The council claim the tree will no longer fit because the bench has been bolted to the pavement.
Earlier this year councillors decided to secure the bench, following several requests from surrounding business owners for it to be removed.
Annette Keyworth, the chairman of the Upton Business Association, commented: "We had hoped to do even better this year with our display, but we have been prevented by the town council. We have even offered to pay for the removal of the bench. After several requests, the town council has refused to remove the bench and so we are unable to install the tree. As in previous years, for health and safety reasons, we cannot locate the tree without the bench being temporarily removed. We have tried really hard, but it is the town council that is the Grinch of Christmas."
The council are concerned that people may sit on the bench near the tree, and get tangled in the Christmassy lights. They have defended their decision, saying in previous years the bench was not fastened down so it was easy to move to make way for the tree.
However, this Scrooge-like approach is not convincing the general public. Resident Bryan Whelan, argued: "Frankly, if someone is dim-witted enough to sit on a bench next to a flipping big Christmas tree then they deserve what they get. I think everyone understands sensible health and safety precautions but sometimes you have to trust that even the most stupid people will exercise a little common sense."
Miss Keyworth went on to say: "Having the tree next to the bench runs against our public liability insurance. We can't have the tree placed next to the bench because we have to run cables behind it and that would be a risk to anyone sitting there because it would be dangerous and they could get caught up in the lights. We've had the Christmas tree in this position and for the last three years now and each year they've moved the bench to the other side of the road. We've never had this problem before."
