THE Christchurch Christmas Lights Switch-On event – planned for Saturday night – has been cancelled.

Scheduled to take place in the High Street and Saxon Square, the event was set to feature a range of attractions for visitors.

However, Christchurch Town Council have now announced the event has been called off due to bad weather.

It comes after the Met Office issued severe weather warnings ahead of Storm Bert approaching the UK.

The storm is expected to bring heavy rain, snow, and strong winds on Saturday and Sunday.

Cllr Simon McCormack, chair of the Christmas Working Group, said: “We are incredibly disappointed to have to cancel this year’s Christmas Lights Switch-On event, as we know how much it means to our community.

“However, the safety of our residents, visitors, and event staff must come first.

“Severe weather conditions predicted for Saturday would make hosting the event unsafe, but we look forward to welcoming everyone back for an even bigger and better event next year.”

He added: “We’d like to thank the brilliant team at ORA for all of their hard work and dedication to bringing what would have been a magnificent event to Christchurch.”

Despite the switch-n being called off, the lights will still shine in the town, the council said, from Saturday.

Andy Daish and Chris Farr, directors of ORA Events, organisers of the Switch-On, said: “As the first Christmas Lights Switch-On event we’ve organised for Christchurch, we’ve put our heart and soul into making it a magical experience for the community.

“To have to cancel due to the severe weather forecast is incredibly disappointing.

“However, safety always come first and we’re incredibly grateful for the support and understanding of everyone who was looking forward to the event.

“This is only the beginning and we’re already channelling our efforts into making next year’s Switch-On even more spectacular.”

Meanwhile, preparations are already underway for the 2025 switch-on event, “promising to be bigger and better than ever before”, the council said.