No Christmas tree in Newhey

Cotton Tree Corner where the Christmas tree is usually sited

People in Newhey have been left without an annual Christmas tree after council workers have been unable to erect the tree because of the installation of a new junction at Huddersfield Road.

Workers only discovered the problem after arriving onsite with the tree and were unable to access the site at Cotton Tree corner.

A council spokesman said: “We purchased a tree for Newhey as we do each year but unfortunately when the team arrived on site they could not install the tree due to junction alterations that we were not aware of.

“New traffic lights have been installed and there is additional pedestrian guard rail which has prevented access for the Hiab vehicle and therefore it cannot get close enough to the tree to install it.

“The site is now impractical for a tree and I would suggest that if a tree is required for next year a new site is found.”

Newhey resident Lawrence Glendinning said: “I saw them putting up through tinsel on the lampposts with a cherry picker directly opposite the location of the Christmas tree, so they would have known. It’s a poor excuse that the department responsible for trees did not know about the new junction. I say utter tosh!”

Local campaigner Irene Davidson said: “I have had a number of complaints from local residents about the lack of a tree and the general quality of Christmas lights in Newhey, especially when Milnrow looks so good.

"Residents of Newhey are left feeling they are the forgotten village when things like this happen.

"I can’t believe things like this are overlooked, especially when the Pennines Township is trying to encourage shopping local and improving the visual appearance of our villages through a grant scheme.”

Councillor Allen Brett said: “Duncan Hannant, a long time Newhey resident, contacted myself and Councillor Butterworth when he learnt that the Newhey tree could no longer be erected because of the new traffic lights at the bottom of Huddersfield Road at Cotton Tree Corner. Duncan has already suggested two alternative sites which are being investigated, with one of them in private ownership.”

Councillor Andy Kelly said: “The Christmas lights installed in Newhey have not yet been switched on yet either (as of Wednesday 2 December).