“We hate our town’s skinny Christmas tree – it’s got no tinsel or baubles and looks like a beanstalk”

Red-faced residents have slammed their town's "skinny beanstalk" of a Christmas tree. Locals in Willenhall, West Mids., are furious that their festive display hasn't been decorated with tinsel or baubles and has just a string of lights dangling from a few branches. The spindly 20ft tree was put on the Lock Worker’s Memorial by a busy junction next to an off-licence and a line of takeaways. It was installed late last month by Walsall Council, but it appears to be lacking some Christmas sparkle. The "pathetic" attempt at the Christmas tree has infuriated locals, who say it makes residents in the town look like scrooges. Patricia Walton, 75, said: "It’s absolutely pathetic, each year it keeps getting worse, smaller and smaller. "Walsall is just as bad, Darlaston is bad, but this, they might as well have not bothered putting one up. "They haven’t even got the children decorating it this year, and I can’t see people coming and looking at this. "There’s no baubles or tinsel on the tree either. "It needs to be a bit smaller and much bushier. "It looks more like a beanstalk than a Christmas tree. "A couple of years ago they used to get the kids doing it and decorating it. If they’ve paid for that tree, it’s just a waste of money." Resident Darren Rowe, 25, said: "It's a bit of joke to call that a Christmas tree. "It hardly puts you in the festive spirit. It's tall but not exactly decorated. It's a shame." Councillor Simran Cheema, who represents Willenhall South, said the skinny tree was a "shadow" of the one displayed last year. She said: "My biggest disappointment and frustration with the council is that previous years we have had a bigger and better tree. "It attracted people to the town and brings a festive feeling. "It used to be situated outside the Wetherspoon. It was right in the centre and everyone could see it when they drove past. "This one is tucked away in the corner and they moved the location without consulting any of the ward councillors. "It's a bit of a disappointment really, people were expecting better and we've had better in previous years. "The Christmas Grinch has taken our festive feeling." Walsall Council defended the tree, saying this year they were using "more sustainable" firs. Deputy leader councillor Adrian Andrew said: “This year, the council have replaced the majority of cut Christmas trees with planted trees which are more sustainable option. “Every effort has been made to provide comparable sized trees and the illumination is consistent with previous years. “In some instances, it has been necessary to change the location of the trees as planted trees cannot be installed where there are underground services or where ongoing maintenance may not be practicable. “The council are happy to support community switch on events and this year has been no exception. “Where we have been approached to time the switch on of lights around community lead Christmas event, we have done so.”