PRESENT themed decorations will light up Colchester town centre this Christmas.

Colchester Council has unveiled its new festive display.

There will be a variety of new themed lights popping up across the town centre.

The new lights will be displayed across Head Street, High Street, on lampposts in St John’s Street and in trees in Crouch Street.

As a result of the pandemic there will be now switch-on event in town with the lights instead being turned on when ready, after Wednesday.

Plans are however underway for a virtual light switch on video which will be shown on social media in December.

The council said the new decoration are part of an approach to maintaining the town's Christmas lights.

Martin Goss, Colchester Council's waste, environment and transportation boss, said: “This year has been difficult for everyone, with so many changes already and a very different Christmas on the cards, it’s more important than ever to show that Colchester’s festive spirit is alive and well.

“We will still be turning the Colchester lights on, albeit with no ceremony because encouraging a large crowd into the town centre during a pandemic would be inappropriate, and hope families will visit the town centre to see them in the run-up to Christmas when it is safe to do so adhering to social distancing and government guidelines.”

This year there will be more lights than ever before, as the Our Colchester Business Improvement District is investing in additional light installations across the town, including Crouch Street, St Johns Street and Eld Lane.

Sam Good, Our Colchester BID Manager, said: “During the never ending doom and gloom, our town centre businesses are ready and waiting to give you that warm nostalgic feeling of Christmas.

"With the cancellation of the annual light switch-on event that we normally organise, we have invested in a wealth of fun, socially distanced activities for residents to bring their families to.

“The new Christmas lights are a very exciting addition to our wonderful town centre this winter and we look forward to welcoming you all in”.

Follow @YourColchester on Twitter, @EnjoyColchester on Facebook and @BetterColchester on Instagram to see the unveiling of the Christmas lights video in early December.