Watford's Christmas lights will be turned off earlier in the evenings this year due to the rising cost of energy.
Watford Business Improvement District (BID) has confirmed that the town will be keeping an eye on the energy bills this year during the festive season.
Annually the bright lights and decorations are a spectacle in the town and its switch-on event attracts hundreds.
Normally they would stay on until about 4am every morning, but this year they will be programmed to switch off earlier on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The lights, which will be using cheaper LED bulbs, will now be switched off earlier on quieter evenings to reduce the costs.
Watford BID explained that the display is scheduled to first light up on November 19.
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A spokesperson said: "The Christmas lights in Watford town centre will be going ahead as planned, to bring some festive cheer to Watford residents, visitors and the people that work here.
"All our displays use LED bulbs which are cheaper to run and use far less energy than traditional lighting, however we are going to turn off the lights earlier on quieter evenings to help reduce energy bills."
Some areas, such as Guildford or Ely in Cambridgeshire, have seen the Christmas displays axed this year as councils said they could not justify the costs.
But Watford BID explained that this would not be the case locally as it entered a three-year contract with its lights contractor last year, so the installation and maintenance was not be a cost factor.
While Watford BID is responsible for investing in the town’s lights and decorations, a Freedom of Information (FoI) request in 2021 showed that Watford Borough Council contributes £20,000 each year towards the decoration and event.
It is expected that other Hertfordshire towns will also press ahead with their Christmas lights this year – as only a small number of councils in England have scrapped the displays for this year.
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