Fox Valley Christmas light switch-on goes ahead despite heavy rain

Organisers of the event said they are still planning to switch on the Christmas lights in the retail park in Stocksbridge at 6pm tonight.

In a statement, Fox Valley said: “We have taken advice from our Health and Safety team and due to the weather conditions we have cancelled the Christmas Market. The safety of our customers and staff is our absolute priority.

“Live music will still be taking place from 4pm to 7pm on the ground floor outdoor area of Pontis Italian Kitchen and our fabulous shops will be staying open until 8pm for late night shopping.“We would love to see as many of you down here as possible when we switch the lights on at 6pm with Santa – travel safe and wrap up warm!”

A yellow weather warning for rain remains in place across the region up until 10pm this evening with rain expected to fall for much of the night followed by scattered showers on Friday.