FORECAST heavy rain and gusty winds have forced the cancellation of tomorrow’s Dawlish Christmas lights switch on.

Organisers have apologised but said public safety had to come first.

A spokesman for Dawlish Chamber of Trade said: ‘Due to the yellow warning for rain issued by the Met Office which includes sustained wind gusts for Saturday November, 29 we have had to make the very difficult decision to cancel Saturday’s Christmas Market and Light Switch-On.

‘Public safety must always come first, and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

‘It means that the decorative lighting on streetlights will be switched on tomorrow morning by our contractors.’

But organisers say there will still be entertainment in shops tomorrow.

The Christmas Market will still go ahead as normal on Sunday, with extended trading until 6pm.

The Lantern Parade will now take place on Sunday, November 30 at 4.30 pm, followed by the lighting of the gingerbread house and festive carols from 5 pm.

The spokesman added: ‘Thank you for your understanding.

‘Please continue to support our wonderful local shops, and traders —shopping locally and a little earlier can help ease the festive rush and make a real difference to our community.’