Businesses on a Perth street have taken a dim view of its festive blackout.
The usual lighting along South Methven Street is conspicuous by its absence, a week after the rest of the city centre was given a cheery Christmas glow.
The old lights were damaged in last year’s winter storms and new ones were not ordered in time for this December. This meant the street was left out of last weekend’s £27,000 Winter Lights Festival.
The Christmas lighting is paid from the Perth Common Good Fund every year.
Perth and Kinross Council has admitted there will be no lighting until next Christmas.
One angry business owner said: “We’ve always had fairly decent lights but last week I realised they hadn’t been put up and I thought they were cutting it a bit fine for the weekend.
“I called city centre management and they said it was nothing to do with them. They only arrange the switch-on events.
“They called another department which said the lights had all been destroyed in high winds last year. I thought that was strange since no one in the street can remember that and they shone on until the usual late January weekend, when they were taken down.
“I’ve since been told the common good fund has extra money budgeted for replacements but for some reason they’ve been overlooked. Nor was there any mention at the fund meetings about damage to existing lights.”
Another owner said: “It’s a blow because every other main shopping street is lit up and looking great. We’re left in darkness. Why do they bother putting lights up? To make the streets Christmassy and make people want to spend their money.
“They’ll not want to come here if there’s not even any lights up. It makes us feel a bit left out and unimportant when we actually need all the help we can get in these times.”
City centre councillor Peter Barrett said local businesses had been “badly let down” by the council administration which failed to order new lights in time.
He said: “Methven Street traders have been left in the dark figuratively and literally and the situation is entirely unacceptable. I want to know what senior members of the SNP administration are playing at because they certainly don’t seem to be doing their jobs.
“Was last year’s damage reported to Councillor (John) Kellas or Councillor (Jack) Coburn as conveners of enterprise and infrastructure and Perth Common Good Fund?
“When did they know that there were going to be no Christmas lights in the street? Why was the issue not raised with shopkeepers and businesses months ago?”
A spokesman for the council said: “The Christmas lights in Perth’s South Methven Street were unfortunately very badly damaged during high winds in 2011.
“The majority of the light fittings were blown down. The small number that were not brought down by the winds were damaged beyond repair and ultimately had to be removed.
“While it has not been possible to provide replacements for this year, we hope to do so in 2013 as part of the council’s ongoing aim to develop Perth as a winter destination for visitors.”