Fake town centre Christmas tree to be replaced by real one
December 8, 2009
Amid fears that a real Christmas tree could fall over and hurt someone the Borough of Poole in Dorset thought it might be a good idea to invest £14,000 in a fake tree made out of bits of turf stick to a metal structure. The fake tree was chosen by those in charge of managing the town centre and erected because there was less chance of a strong wind pushing over a tree made of grass and mud than a traditional fir tree.
Unsurprisingly the fake tree has been widely ridiculed by locals who have compared it to a witch’s hat and a rather large traffic cone. Dorset police are at present studying CCTV footage to see if recent damage to the tree was caused by vandals. The ten meter tall cone of turf has now been taken down. It had been planned that speakers hidden underneath the trees grassy exterior would play traditional Christmas tunes, but it was not to be.
The Borough of Poole continues to stand by its decision to erect the fake tree by saying that in the long term a tree essentially made of mud would be cheaper and sturdier than a Norwegian Fir. The Borough also said that last year it had received a number of complaints about the ropes and hoardings required to hold up the town center’s traditional Christmas tree. It said that the mechanisms were required to comply with health and safety laws.
The Dolphin Shopping Centre has since said that it will pay for a proper tree. It is due to go up today.
Related Posts
Comments
Advertisement
