A HASLEMERE restaurateur has taken a dim view of Wey Hill's Christmas lights describing them as "meagre offerings".

Stéphane Jacob, who runs the French restaurant Brasserie Ma Cuisine in Wey Hill, wrote to other shop owners on the hill describing the lights as "an insult "compared to those in the town centre.

"We pay the same rates and taxes as other businesses and every year it is the same old story," complained M Jacob.

"Three years ago we had a banner across the road saying Merry Christmas which was damaged and hasn't been repaired. Some of the lights aren't working and we don't even have a Christmas tree," he told The Herald.

"An enormous amount of effort has been made by myself and other businesses to promote locality of trade, yet Wey Hill seems to be ignored," said M Jacob, who this week erected two Christmas trees outside his restaurant.

And he declared in his letter to fellow businessmen that he was surprised that "such flagrant discrimination has been allowed to continue for such a length of time".

M Jacob said the only lights in Wey Hill were small signs on lampposts. He complained that the lights on a large tree near the Tesco traffic lights were not working and that there should be a Christmas tree in that part of the town..

While sharing some of M Jacob's views, Alan Baker from the nearby flooring company said that Wey Hill businessmen needed to be "masters of their own destiny".

"Haslemere does look wonderful but all the little lights on the buildings, business people have put on themselves," he said.

"If that is so, then people can't complain. If they had been paid for by fundraising, then one might be a bit concerned that we have been left out.

"We as a little shopping community should make things happen for ourselves. It is up to the traders to do things to attract clients."

The president of the Haslemere and District Chamber of Trade, Melanie Odell, said she was "very concerned".

Ms Odell said it was "unfortunate" that power to the lights in the tree had been disconnected and she had had many phone calls about the banner.

"It was too low and was damaged by a lorry but we hope that new, repositioned fixings for it will be incorporated into the Wey Hill improvement scheme which takes place early next year."

"The High Street does look so beautiful but most of it is thanks to traders decorating their own buildings," she added.

• A spokesman for Surrey County Council said on Wednesday that Southern Electric was due to restore the power to the tree lights this week.