The Christmas light display in Oxford’s Cornmarket Street, featured in the city council’s newsletter, looks too good to be true. And, unfortunately, it is.

The council has admitted it used a computer-generated image to publicise its plans for the festive period.

The street scene bears little resemblance to the real Cornmarket lights, which were officially switched on last Friday as part of the city’s WinterLight celebration, organised by Oxford Inspires.

The event also featured the official opening of the city’s revamped Bonn Square.

One puzzled reader of the council newsletter, Your Oxford, which was sent out last month, called the Town Hall to point out the discrepancy, admits Louisa Dean, a spokesman for the city council. She believed the picture had been computer enhanced.

“The image used on the front page of Your Oxford is purely an artist’s impression to give an idea of how the Christmas lights might look, and were subject to variation.

“This edition of Your Oxford was mailed out before the Christmas lights were switched on.”

The council has spent £41,000 on Christmas lights in Cornmarket Street, Broad Street, Queen Street and London Road, Headington.

City councillor Colin Cook, executive member with responsibility for the city centre, said: “This matches what we have spent in the past on Christmas lights, which are being leased.

“We were hoping the city centre management company OX1 was going to take the issue of Christmas lights off our hands, but traders decided they did not want to make an extra contribution to OX1 on top of their business rates, so that has not been possible.

“The city does deserve a decent lights display, but there are budget cuts to be faced and all discretionary spending is under review.

“Christmas lights fall into the discretionary spending category, so we will have to work hard to continue the lights show in Oxford and work with our partner organisations to achieve a decent festive atmosphere in the Christmas season.

“The liaison between the city council and Oxford Inspires worked very well for the WinterLight show, and I think Bonn Square will soon become a very important focal point and meeting place in Oxford.”

In 2002, traders received an apology from the city council after its free quarterly newspaper The City, a forerunner to Your Oxford, promoted Christmas shopping in London.

The front page of the winter edition featured an advertisement for Stagecoach’s Oxford Tube express coaches, suggesting the city’s residents should do their Christmas shopping in the capital.

In November 2001, a 74-year-old man was injured, and needed hospital treatment, when a set of Christmas decorations fell on him in Queen Street.

Mr Cook added: “A large part of the cost of Christmas lights is the fixtures and fittings, to make sure they are properly secured.”

affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk