CROWDS turned out as the weather held off for the Lichfield Christmas lights switch-on at the second time of asking.
Market Square and surrounding streets were packed with people as the festive event took place yesterday (1st December).
It had been re-arranged for the previous week due to concerns over Storm Bert, but the weather held off this time around to allow the button to be pressed on the city centre’s lights.
As well as the big switch-on, there were also live music events with the proceedings shown on a big screen.
But there were criticisms from some of those in attendance about how the crowds were managed – with many being funnelled away from some routes to use Market Street instead.
One said:
“It was far too packed because they did it that way – if there had been an emergency it could have been really dangerous.”
Another who attended added:
“The fences they put up meant we couldn’t get to the Market Square without walking all the way round to Market Street.
“When we eventually got there, you couldn’t get near enough to hear what was actually happening, so it was a real disappointment for the kids.”
