ENGINEERS are facing a race against time to get Banbury's Christmas lights wired up for next month's switch-on festival.

New health and safety regulations issued by the County Surveyors Society and the Institution of Lighting Engineers, mean extra work and higher costs for Cherwell District Council and its contractors.

Updated electricity control boxes, improved connectors and circuit breakers, and stronger support cables must be fitted - and the whole system, when installed, must be tested by specialists before the lights can be used.

But council officers are hoping that everything will be in place for the town's switch on ceremony on November 25.

Chris Rothwell, CDC's head of urban and rural services, said: "It really is a race against time.

"The situation is complex, but we are moving as fast as we can."

He explained what the new code of practice involved.

Mr Rothwell said: "New circuit breakers have to be fitted into the bottom of every lamp post used, and new connectors have to be fitted to the tops of lamp posts and to the lights' cables.

"The cost of that is £15,000 - and we face additional extra expense because we also have to replace wall-mounted sockets. There are a dozen or so of those at £300 each.

"We also have to check the strength of fixing points and of the cables that carry the lights."

Mr Rothwell added: "A further complication is that we have to use contractors approved by Oxfordshire County Council to do that work, and they are different to our own contractors who install and pre-test the lights.

He said: "The level of bureaucracy, for very good safety reasons, is high, but Christmas lights are important. They bring people in to the town centre and create a feel-good atmosphere."

Banbury's Christmas Lights Festival - an afternoon of entertainment climaxed by the appearance of a guest celebrity to carry out the switch-on of the street illuminations - will go ahead as planned on Sunday. November 25.

EastEnders' Ian Beale (actor Adam Woodyatt) is this year's big name, and he will appear on stage at 4.30pm to flick the switch.

Ann Sewell, Banbury Town Council's events and projects officer and chairman of the organising committee, said: "The event is 99 percent planned and we are looking forward to another successful day. There will be a lot going on with entertainment for all the family.

"The lights' issue is a slight hiccup but I know Mr Rothwell is on the ball and I'm sure everything will be ready on time.

"if the worst comes to worst and the lights are not ready, we will find an alternative finale for the festival. Whatever happens, the event will not be cancelled."

Cherwell's other centres, Bicester and Kidlington, are also affected by the lights' red tape, but Mr Rothwell is again predicting that all will be well.

He said: "November 22 is the date for Bicester's switch-on, with Kidlington's on December 4. We are working with those dates in mind."

  • The County Surveyors Society represents local authority chief officers who deal with transport, waste management, environment, planning, energy, and economic development issues.

The Institution of Lighting Engineers is the UK's largest and most influential professional lighting association. Its key purpose is to promote excellence in all forms of lighting including interior, exterior, sports, road, flood, emergency, tunnel, security, and festive lighting.