Man who lights up neighbourhood every Christmas ordered to take down display
A Christmas fan who helped spread holiday cheer by putting up festive lights every year outside his home was ordered to take them down because of “health and safety”.
Retired John Riley has for seven years enjoyed putting up the decorations outside his flat in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, which people have come to visit from miles around. On December 1 he dutifully put them up but, days before Christmas Day, he was ordered to take them down by his letting agent, Priority Management, after a passing electrician raised concerns about a wire. Now the 75-year-old has started a petition calling on the letting agent to let him spread “holiday cheer.”
He told the Mirror: “I’m that angry, I’m spitting feathers. I’ve been putting the lights up for seven years without a problem. It took me two days to put all the lights up and then an electrician came to see the cottage round the back. An hour later I got an email telling me to take the lights down so I can only assume it was to do with him.
"I emailed back and said I’m happy to liaise with an electrician or a neighbour offered to let me plug them into his house. I took down all the lights, there and then. I was scared to upset them. I felt practically sick, I was so disgusted. People can’t believe it. I always put lights up, it brings a little joy to people. I started a petition and people have called the letting agent to call him a Grinch. I just want to put our lights up.”
In the wake of the lights being taken down, several people have asked why Mr Riley’s house remains dark this year when his neighbours have theirs up. The petition started by the unhappy resident has been signed by dozens of people so far. It reads: “I am a resident of Southend-on-Sea, UK, and for the past seven years, I have been bringing joy to my community by putting up Christmas lights around my rented property. This year, after spending two days setting up the lights, I received an email from my letting agent on December 6th instructing me to take them down immediately.
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“The absence of these festive decorations has not gone unnoticed; people have been contacting me all day asking why there are no lights this year. This is not just about one house or one tenant; it's about the spirit of Christmas and the ability for everyone to participate in spreading holiday cheer. We understand that landlords and letting agents have responsibilities towards maintaining property standards. However, we believe there can be a balance between preserving these standards and allowing tenants some freedom to celebrate holidays as they see fit.
“We call upon letting agents in Southend-on-Sea and across the UK to reconsider their policies regarding holiday decorations. Let us continue our tradition of lighting up our homes during this festive season without fear of repercussions from our landlords or letting agents.”
A spokesman for Priority Management said: “Neither Priority nor the Landlord has any wish to spoil the enjoyment of anyone over the festive period but we do have an overriding responsibility for the safety of our tenants and visitors to the properties we look after. Whilst carrying out other essential work at the premises, two professionally qualified electrical contractors independently contacted us to bring our attention to the dangerous condition of an unauthorised installation.
“Under the circumstances, we had no option but to raise the issue with the landlord and it was consequently agreed that, safety being of the paramount importance, the external lights and associated cabling should be removed.”
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