Storage problems means an early start to Christmas in Cornwall.

Shoppers in St Austell were checking their calendars on Monday to make sure they hadn't missed three months and it was September 25 and not December 25.People coming into the town were surprised to find that the Christmas lights, including a large sign saying 'Merry Christmas', had been put up over the weekend in Fore Street and Truro Road, three months before Christmas Day.

The surprise left many people bemused and has also attracted the attention of the national media with the belief that St Austell is the first and only town in the country to have its festive lights up in September.

St Austell and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry was forced to put the lights up early after failing to find a new place to store them.

The chamber is set to move out of its current base in the Engine House this week as work starts on preparing the building for demolition next month.

The chamber is set to relocate to an office in Sembal House.

Chamber chairman Paul Scott said: "We were left with a choice of leaving them in the Engine House and having them trashed or putting them up, so we decided to put them up.

"Nobody has come forward to provide a store for them, despite me asking around the town and the appeal in the Cornish Guardian.

"At the end of the day they are only really up a month early, but I am surprised by the fuss it has caused.

"I think there are more important things in the world to worry about - we should be worrying about the cars in Fore Street for a start.

"The lights won't be turned on until the end of November, so I don't see why everyone is talking about it."

However, many shoppers in the town were left laughing about the decision.

One commented: "It has certainly brightened up the town, although it looks a bit daft having them up so early.

"We might be the first town to have Christmas lights, but we are probably already the first town with no town centre."

Another said: "I'm surprised they haven't gone the whole way and set up a Santa's Grotto."

One trader in the town said: "It makes the town a laughing stock, as if we didn't have enough problems already.

"I feel sorry for the chamber in a way because they have had no choice.

"The fact that nowhere could be found to store the lights shows just how little support there is for the town from Restormel Borough Council and the Regional Development Agency."

However, there is some good news with hopes for a new storage area for the lights under the Woolworths store in the town being made available after Christmas.

Mr Scott added: "There have been Christmas puddings in the shops for weeks and nobody says anything about that - why is this any different?"

Cornish Guardian.