Lights axed due to £120k losses

Walsall Illuminations will be switched off for the next three years. The lights spectacular, which has been held at the town's Arboretum since 1951, will be axed in a bid to save up to £170,000 a year.

Dwindling visitor numbers and spiralling costs have hit the attraction in recent years, with last year's event attracting the smallest crowd in its history and making a loss of £120,000.

Leader of Walsall Council John O'Hare said scrapping one of the borough's best-known attractions had not been an easy decision.

But he insisted it was necessary in order to safeguard other services.

"We didn't really want to cut the Illuminations but we had to look at the costs. "Something else would suffer should it make further losses as it has done over the last couple of years.

"Right now, we are not in a position where we can take any risks whatsoever."

The show is not due to run in 2010 and 2011 to allow for major restoration work.

But council chiefs have said they hoped the Illuminations would return in 2012.

Councillor Pete Smith said: "The showcase Walsall Illuminations has been a tradition in this town for over 60 years and should not be got rid of.

Cost-cutting measures designed to claw back £12.8 million were approved at a meeting of Walsall Council last night