THOUSANDS of pounds have been spent on Christmas lights to brighten up a town centre.

Ferryhill Town Council has started to replace the town's Christmas lights as the old ones are looking dated.

Already a total of £9,000 - £2,500 of which was raised by Councillor Edith Whitfield when she was mayor - has been spent on new decorations for the town's street light columns.

The council plans to replace all the other decorations, including those it erects at churches and community centres, next year.

It hopes the investment will save thousands of pounds each year in the electricity bill as the new decorations use LED lights which use about one-tenth the electricity of the old ones but are just as bright.

Ferryhill's Christmas lights will be switched on by a pupil from Dean Road Nursery on Friday at the town hall during the Christmas market.