CROWDS of Bathonians supported the official Christmas lights switch on, performed by the mayor Angela Godfrey outside the Pump Rooms.

Supported by the Chart of Trustees and stars of Bath pantomime, the ceremony attracted the biggest crowd in years, said town centre manager Dave Dixon.

Mr Dixon said: "It was a lovely crowd, a lot more people than in previous years and the weather held off."

Culverhay School choir sang traditional Christmas hymns and songs before the mayor, whose seasonal schedule is very busy, arrived straight from another lights ceremony in Green Park.

Last Of The Summer Wine star Tom Owen, who plays Baron Hardup in the Theatre Royal's seasonal production of Cinderella, kept the crowd entertained.

The chairman of Bath and North East Somerset Council Bryan Organ and the mayor's Young Citizen of the Year, Kelly McKay, attended the event.

The new lights installed in the city this year were switched on at 6.25pm by Cllr Godfrey.

Mr Dixon said the lights, which were supplied by a Paris company, were chosen because the subtlety of the designs suited Bath.

He said: "The decorations as a whole don't last very long and the old ones were basically unsafe so we had to install new lights.

"We chose the lights because they were in keeping with the city.

"We are lucky to have such a lovely backdrop to show them off."

The imported lights are the first to be exported from France in seven years, said to Mr Dixon.

The new decorations are part of a three-year plan by B&NES to provide new lights for the city.

Mr Dixon said: "We'll add to them each year and in three years' time there will be a tremendous display."

He thanked the Chamber of Commerce, which raised more than £7,000 for extra decorations in the city.

The angel above the Pump Rooms has also been improved this year.

Mr Dixon said: "The angel was repainted with fluorescent paint and looks great. I am chuffed to bits with the decorations."