The City of Ely Council has said it is working to resolve issues with what residents have described as its ''absolutely shocking' Chritmas tree.

Ely residents were left stunned when the bauble-less tree, which has been described as "sparse", appeared in Market Place earlier this week.

Posting on a Facebook community group locals said the tree looked "half dead", branding it "disease ridden". 

One user wrote: "That looks quite sparse and poorly, did it come from Ely dump?"

Angry residents showed their displeasure at the decoration, which sits in the middle of Market Place, by uploading pictures of "withered" branches.

Another resident said: "We watched them putting the tree up yesterday, they chopped a lot of green branches off from the bottom. I don’t think they had any idea what they were doing."

Chairman Cllr Chris Phillips said the council was "working closely" with its Christmas tree supplier to "resolve the issues" as soon as possible.

He added: "The tree will be decorated very shortly and will be a splendid addition to the Market Place this Christmas.

"Volunteers put in many hours to ensure that Ely has Christmas lights and a tree each year, which the Council is very appreciative of. 

"If there are members of the public that would be willing to give up their time to be part of this team of volunteers,  please contact the Council to discuss this further.

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