A council splurged £20,000 on a "rubbish" Christmas tree blasted as "a disgrace" by residents.
No festive lights have been put up in Boston, Lincolnshire, due to cuts on funding, so instead the authority has secured a small artificial tree.
It has been slammed by residents and the mayor even called the situation a "complete and utter omnishambles".
Terry Dawson, 74 and who lives near Boston, told Lincolnshire Live : "It's a market town that's always had a lot of good character and it's just disappeared. The town has lost its soul, it really has.
"I'm fed up of hearing about other places, some smaller than Boston, getting more effort and energy. If I was to use the word 'dead', I think that would just about sum it up."
Kaye Brown, who lives in Boston, called the 8ft tree "a disgrace".
"It's a poor show, it's not attracting people to the town or getting anyone in the Christmas spirit," Kaye added.
"When the volunteer electricians did the lights, there was a really good show on which I think attracted thousands of people to the town centre, but where is everyone this year? It's very sad.
"I hope they accept the volunteers' offer next year and get it back to where it should be. It's nothing like it used to be."
Helen Wright, 59 and from Boston, said: "One late night shopping I heard a little girl crying saying 'where are the Christmas lights?'. If Spalding and other places can make the effort then why can't we? The tree looks rubbish. It's all just really bad."
Councillor Anne Dorrian, mayor of the town, shared a document, containing the costs of the new Christmas tree, on her Facebook page in a bid to be "transparent" with residents.
The document revealed the tree will cost taxpayers a total of £22,290 over a two-year period.
She said the situation is a "complete and utter omnishambles."
Boston Borough Council, controlled by the Conservative Party, said "difficult decisions" have had to be made recently due to the funding cuts.
Councillor Paul Skinner, leader of the authority, said: "We appreciate and recognise that the lack of Christmas lights has drawn criticism from a number of people in the town. It is, however, important for people to understand that cuts to funding was agreed by Members as part of the annual Budget in 2016 , Boston Borough Council agreed to continue funding the tree and that the Boston Town Area Committee (BTAC) would raise funds for the lights.
"As part of that agreement with BTAC, the group of volunteers were advised that they would have to be self-funded in three years, if the group broke up for any reason the lights would be returned to BTAC.
"It’s never an easy decision for any Council to cut funding. But in order for our vital services to continue working the best they can for residents, difficult decisions have to be made and unfortunately, this is one of them."
