WORKMEN found themselves high and dry in Chippenham High Street when a hydraulic platform jammed as they were putting up the Christmas lights.

Robert Liddington and Tom Geldart were perched on the lift by the Yelde Hall for 90 minutes while supervisor Mervyn Woolford, and later a vehicle repair man, struggled to find out the cause of the problem.

It was traced to a wiring fault and, once sorted, the men got on with the job. "It was just one of those things," said Mr Geldart. "Sometimes machinery goes wrong."

Ray Lane, head of service delivery for Chippenham Town Council, said: "It's not pleasant to be stuck in a situation like that."

He said town council staff have a busy few weeks to put up the Christmas lights before the November 17 deadline.

"We'll have 150 trees delivered on October 30, and then two weeks to put them up and test them," Mr Lane said. "People don't realise the amount of work involved."

The festive lights, which are organised by the council, will be switched on at a ceremony on November 17.