ALTON’S Christmas lights will be illuminated officially tomorrow when Santa Claus joins town mayor Matthew Bayliss for the grand ‘switch on’.

Taking place in the Market Square from 5.45pm, the event will be hosted by presenters and town councillors Bisi Eni-Olotu and Dean Phillips, along with Alton town crier Stan Whitcher, and will feature young carol singers from Alton Infant School, the Holybourne Singers led by Rebekah Abbott, town mayors chaplain the Reverend Andre Micklefield, and Santa Claus himself with his trusty lion!

It will be the first outing for the town’s new Christmas lighting scheme, after Alton Town Council entered into a three-year contract with Woking-based company Seasonal Transformations Ltd at a cost of £45,000. The company has responsibility for the supply, erection, storage and maintenance of the lights over three years.

The only disappointment is the fact that the town council has been unable to obtain the consent of all the property owners in Market Street to attach brackets, needed to secure the icicle illuminations planned for the street.

While many of the retail tenants are unhappy about being left in the dark, town clerk Leah Cohney has outlined the invidious position the town council has been thrown into. While the funds are there for the Market Street display, without landlord consent should any unforeseen damage occur the council could be held liable – a risk it is unwilling to take.

Alton Town Council is working with Alton Matters to try to rectify the situation and is urging all tenants to get together to work collectively to put pressure on the property owners in a bid to get consent in time for next year’s lighting display.

The town’s Christmas lights will be lit from 3pm to 11pm each day until January 6. In addition, the town council will be placing its illuminated Nativity Scene display in its Market Square shop throughout December.