LIGHTS ARE TURNED ON LATE AS CREDIT CRUNCH HITS XMAS

PALMA
PALMA'S Christmas lights will be switched on in a week - seven days later than previous years in a bid to cut power bills.
The financial crisis has even affected the city's festive celebrations and the street light displays have not escaped cost-cutting measures.
Councillors have opted to cut back on power used by displays, reduce the amount of time they are switched on and slash the amount of money spent on Palma's festive image.

The big switch-on of the festive illuminations will now take place on Friday December 5 at 6pm, in an attempt to save 10'000 euros in the cost of powering the sparkling display. The cost of the illuminations will be 670'000 euros and the display will feature more energy-saving bulbs than ever to reduce electricity consumption by 34 percent. Palma's environmentally-friendly Christmas includes 700 different designs in the city's main streets - 220 more than last year despite the cutbacks.