BURNHAM traders missed out on one of the “most important trading opportunities of the year” after the collapse of the annual late night Christmas shopping event.

The town’s business and tourism manager Ian Jefferies said it was a “poor show” that the planned late night shopping event had to be cancelled last week.

He told the Weekly News that only eight per cent of traders had got behind the event this year and due to general apathy the whole thing had fallen apart.

Mr Jefferies said: “It we can’t get together as a town on one of the most important trading events of the year, when can you?

“I have been to bigger and smaller towns which have staged these late night shopping events and they have often pulled in a lot of people who want to spend money in the town.

“I’m not sure what has happened here but questions certainly need to be asked.

“I know a lot of traders are not very happy about this and neither am I.

“We should be able to get together as a town at Christmas and the fact we haven’t shows something is very wrong.”

But traders have retorted that they weren’t made aware of an official date for the event and felt the communication was poor.

One told the Weekly News: “I didn’t receive a newsletter and I wasn’t aware of the date so I didn’t make arrangements to ask staff to stay late or anything.

“We were told not enough people wanted to do it but I didn’t know what was going on.

“It’s not very good as Burnham is slipping behind other towns that put on these events.”

Town centre manager Beverley Milner Simonds, who is also membership secretary of the chamber of trade, said: “Not enough traders wanted to open up.

“The event is traditionally run by the Burnham Chamber of Trade but it seems there was not enough support this year.

I hope to work with traders next year to get the event back on.”

Last year shoppers were treated to a visit from Santa as well as music from local choirs. 

Derek Monaghan, treasurer of the Chamber of Trade, said there was a lack of support from traders: “It was supposed to happen last Friday.

"Emails were sent out and a newsletter.

"Committee members also went into shops. But only nine people were committed to it. You can’t force people to open their shops – it’s not like the Mall in Bristol where it is written in their contract to open late. We couldn’t do any more.”