HUGE crowds packed the main streets of Newton Abbot on Saturday to welcome Father Christmas and see the town's Christmas lights switched on, writes John Balment.

A parade from the war memorial to St Leonard's Tower was met by crowds several deep lining Queen Street and Courtenay Street.

The annual event has become a magical part of Newton Abbot's Christmas calendar and is a feather in the cap of the town council, town development manager Sally Henley, and the town's carnival committee.