Christmas lights blunder

SEAFORD Christmas light plans have been thrown into turmoil at the 11th hour after a blunder by the supplier.

With only two weeks to go before the lights are due to be switched on by Mayor Les Whittle, a desperate search has begun to find replacement bulbs after 800 were delivered with the wrong fitting.

For two years Seaford was without lights because its old set no longer met new stricter safety guidelines.

After a year of intensive fund raising by Seaford Town Council and Seaford Chamber of Commerce, 12,500 had been donated to pay for the festive illuminations.

All seemed to be going to plan.

But storm clouds loomed when the bulbs failed to materialise on their due date in October. They eventually arrived at the start of November.

Then town clerk Len Fisher opened the boxes to find 800 bulbs with screw fittings the Seaford Christmas light fittings are bayonet.

He immediately called the supplier, ED Wood Ltd in Darwen and demanded it replace the bulbs.

A dismayed Mr Fisher said: 'I couldn t believe it. After such a tremendous effort by the people of Seaford, it was inconceivable that we would be let down by one of the biggest suppliers of Christmas lights in the country.

Seeboard was on standby to put up the lights and had even offered to supply the electricity, which would have cost the council nearly 700 for the festive period, free of charge.

Mr Fisher added: 'Seeboard were here and we had no bulbs to give them.

Matters took a turn for the worse on Monday when ED Woods called to say its supplier had run out of the special golf ball-size bulbs Seaford needed and did not expect a new supply until the New Year.

Instead, they sent 800 replacement ordinary red and white bulbs which arrived at the town council offices in Broad Street on Tuesday.

As the Sussex Express went to press Denis Sistrom, Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Christmas lights organiser, was tracking down an alternative supply of the golf ball bulbs.

Illuminate

He said: 'To get the bulbs we want at this time of year is not easy. We originally placed our order in March. I am confident we will resolve the problem, but it may mean searching the country for bulbs.

Mr Fisher added: 'We were concerned that we wouldn t have any bulbs. Now it looks like we may have enough to illuminate half of the South of England.

Paul Dove, sales manager for ED Wood Ltd, said the mix-up had occurred because boxes were incorrectly labelled.

'We have had a lot of problems with our manufacturer putting wrong labels on the boxes. Seaford is not the only customers whose order we have had problems with, he said.