Shoppers stared in bemusement as a mysterious giant cone-shaped object, covered in "green doormats", was erected in a Poole shopping precinct. Locals described it as a giant traffic cone, a witch’s hat, an ice cream cornet and a cheap effect from Doctor Who. In fact, the 33ft structure is this year's Christmas tree.
Last year Poole boasted a traditional Norway fir, which cost £500 and continued a decades-old tradition. However, it was felt it posed a hazard to shoppers, since it might fall over in high winds. Town centre officials therefore commissioned the cone tree according to the latest tabloid health and safety principles.
It has no trunk, no branches to break off and land on someone’s head, no pine needles to poke a passer-by in the eye, no decorations and no angel requiring a dangerously long ladder to place it.
Officials defied the recession and bought the replacement at a cost of £14,000, which comes with built-in speakers that play Christmas carols to put shoppers in a festive mood.
Unfortunately, it seems shoppers were left in a foul mood. Michelle James said, "A Christmas tree should look nice on the eye and sway in the wind, this just looks odd." Similarly, Karen Byron said, “It’s horrible. If you are going to have a fake tree then it ought to resemble a tree. You can get some really good fake trees, but this is awful. It doesn't feel Christmassy at all.”
Town centre manager, Richard Randall-Jones defended the decision stating, "People think you can just go into the woods, chop down a tree and put it up in the high street, but if it blows over and kills someone then somebody is liable. We are a coastal town and so we have strict health-and-safety guidelines around making the tree safe due to the high winds we suffer." He said they had to use ugly guy ropes to stop last years tree from falling over and that he was tasked with finding a solution and came up with the cone tree. Mr Randall-Jones challenged anyone to find a better tree in the area.
