UKs worst Christmas trees – struck by lightning to worse than Poundland

Some contenders for the UK's worst Christmas tree have already emerged with more than two weeks left until the big day.

Locals in Kent, Manchester and London have had their festive spirit dampened by sub-par conifers. Councils have even had to apologise and look into replacing the less-than-impressive firs.

One tree near the port of Deal caused particular outrage. The pine was put up by Dover District Council but it didn't leave residents feeling merry. One outraged local told KentOnline: "You can get bigger ones in Poundland."

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Christmas tree aficionado and salesman Mark Rofe at Christmastrees.co.uk agreed the tree lacked the je-ne-sais-quoi expected of a Christmas pine. He told the Daily Star: "This tree appears to be a Nordmann Fir. It’s the UK’s most popular tree. I think the reason it’s underwhelming is purely down to its size."

Dover District Council leader Cllr Mills said the tree was not the one the council ordered and said the shrub would be replaced "as soon as possible." It has now been replaced by a more awe-inspiring 17ft number.

It was a similar tale in Hattersley, Greater Manchester. Their tree on Stockport Road has been dubbed the UK's worst after council members tried to use a 'live tree' planted in the ground to bring some festive cheer to the area.

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However, the attempts at a sustainable Christmas were unsuccessful, with one X (formerly Twitter) user stating it looks "more like a twig rather than a tree." Another chimed in: "Was it struck by lightning or something?"

Rofe added of Hattersley's offering: "For me, there’s no such thing as an ugly Christmas tree. That said, it’s very difficult to find a positive for the tree in Hattersley.

"It looks incredibly sparse, and the foliage appears to be deteriorating too. […]. If you were to close your eyes and imagine a terrible Christmas tree, you probably couldn’t come up with something as terrible as this one."

Much like Dover District Council, local government officials vowed to give the people of Hattersley the Christmas tree they deserve. Posting to Facebook, Councillor Jacqueline Owen said: "We've tried to grow a sustainable tree, sadly unsuccessfully."

One of the UK's most talked-about trees year-on-year is the enormous pine in London's Trafalgar Square. A 70ft fir tree has been donated by Norway every year since 1947 and sits proudly on the one of capital's most famous landmarks throughout December.

But after making the lengthy journey from Scandinavia, the spruce was left looking a bit worse for wear with a huge chunk of its branches missing. Taking to X, one raged: "Where's the other half of it?!"

"What did we do to make you mad ⁦@NorwayUN @NorwayinUK @norwayembassy?" another chimed in, while a third wrote: "Is it me, or does it look quite dead?"

After the tree attracted some negative press it underwent a "branch transplant" to spruce up the sad-looking pine. Westminster City Council confirmed branches had been removed back in Norway for transportation purposes before they were reattached in the Big Smoke.

Rofe agreed the tree was something to behold and said it was important to remember its significance. "[This is] possibly one of the most visited Christmas trees in the UK," Rofe added. "I personally like the tree, and I think many of the photos that we see of it each year on social media don’t do it justice.

"Whatever you think of the tree, its important to remember that it’s a gift, it’s usually 70 or so years old, and it’s a big tree that’s been transported quite some distance."

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