Staffordshire town's Christmas lights switch-on cancelled as Storm Darragh windy weather forecast

Hednesford Town Council has announced that the Hednesford Victorian Market and Christmas Lights Switch-On events have been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. 

The yearly events are widely anticipated by many, however, the council has now said that they have "taken the difficult decision" to cancel the event, also saying that "the safety of all concerned must come first."

The cancellation is the result of expected adverse weather, with much UK being plunged into a yellow 'severe' weather warning for high winds and heavy rainfall. 

Announcing the cancellation, Hednesford Town Council said: "Unfortunately, due to the severe weather warnings put in place for Saturday, we have had to make the difficult decision to cancel Hednesford's Victorian Christmas Market and Light Switch-On.

"We understand the disappointment this will cause, but the safety of all concerned must come first. 

"Some of the planned activities will still go ahead indoors including Christmas crafts in the library, Santa and his treasure hunt and Santa’s letterbox. More details on locations and timings will be published in due course."

The event this year boasted 38 market stalls, the switch-on event for the town's lights, a Santa treasure hunt, carol singers, craft stalls and an assortment of funfair rides. 

The switch-on event is the latest in the West Midlands to cancel due to the bad weather, with the Bridgnoth Christmas lights switch-on also reluctantly cancelling.

Storm Darragh is expected to worsen over the weekend, with a flood warning also issued for parts of Wolverhampton, including Pattingham and Bridgnorth. 

For more information on the events that will continue on the day, visit the Hednesford Town Council website.