A HUGE Christmas tree that remained in place almost a month into the New Year, has only just been removed.

The massive tree in Palmeira Square, Hove, lit up the area during festivities last year, and stayed well into the new year.

People were baffled as to why the tree was not taken down, as all other decorations in the area had long been removed.

According to tradition, it is bad luck to keep a Christmas tree up after the twelfth day of Christmas, January 5.

The council apologised and removed the Christmas tree following contact from the Argus.

The Argus: The large Christmas tree in Palmeira Square, Hove, before it was removedThe large Christmas tree in Palmeira Square, Hove, before it was removed

The Argus was informed it would not be possible to remove the tree until Monday, January 31, but it was taken down late yesterday afternoon.

A spokesman for the city council said: “Our arboriculture team is working flat out.

“They have had to focus on a high volume of priority health and safety works in recent weeks, and this has delayed work.”

The spokesman added the city council was sorry it had taken such a long time to finally clear away last year's signs of Christmas.

Personal trees from resident’s homes were taken away in early January, as part of a city-wide scheme.

They were left at recycling points across Brighton and Hove, which were open from Monday, December 27, 2021, to Monday, January 10, 2022, and turned into compost.