Council staff were given binoculars to check the safety of Oxford's Christmas lights, it has emerged.

The revelation comes just days after Isobel Garner, the city council's strategic director, said she had taken a decision to remove the lights display ten days early on December 27 because of poor weather forecasts.

Council officers were concerned about the stability of the lights after one set in Queen Street fell on to a passer-by, hours before they were switched on, on November 29. Now Green councillor Mike Woodin has revealed that as part of the safety monitoring process, staff were given binoculars to help them see if bolts were loosening.

Cllr Woodin said at a briefing he was told city centre manager Marcus Lapthorn could not guarantee that staff could continue making these daily safety inspections after December 27, and that is why they were taken down.