Christmas events in Dereham and Watton have been cancelled

Dereham Town Council has made the decision to cancel its Christmas lights event, which was expected to be attended by thousands on Sunday. 

The decision was made in anticipation of Storm Bert, which is expected to make landfall this weekend.

Storm Bert will be the second named storm of the season by the Met Office - with the agency predicting winds of nearly 50mph in Dereham on Sunday.

A number of performances were expected on a stage in the town marketplace (Image: Dereham Town Council) The town council said in a Facebook post: "After a year of planning, we can appreciate that this may not be the news anyone wanted to hear."

The event was due to start on Sunday afternoon, with stalls and performances from various groups, before the town's Christmas lights would be switched on at 4.30pm.

A spokesman for Dereham Town Council said: "We're all very disappointed. There has been a lot of planning and preparation for the event and businesses would have benefited from it. 

"But everyone's safety is paramount."

Although the event cannot be rescheduled, the town's lights will still be scheduled to go on sometime on Sunday.

Dereham is not the only town having to cancel a Christmas event this weekend, with Watton's town council making a similar announcement for its Festive Market.

Winds near Gorleston are expected to reach up to 62mph during the storm (Image: Newsquest) The council also said in a Facebook post: "Due to public safety concerns about Storm Bert, Watton Town Council have made the difficult decision to cancel this year's Festive Market.

"This decision has not been made lightly, but the wind speeds forecast for Sunday means that it is not safe to put up gazebos for the stall holders."

However, its Christmas grotto, which is held indoors, will still go ahead between 2 and 4pm at Watton Community Centre.

The town's Christmas Lights will be switched on during the evening of Monday, November 25.