Firefighters have backed out of a long-standing agreement to take down their town’s festival bunting because health and safety rules no longer allow them to climb ladders to remove it.

Green and white flags are still fluttering over the streets of Ampthill, in Bedfordshire, four months after the annual gala day.

The town council has insisted that Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service must go through risk assessment procedures, despite their expertise with ladders.

“Yes, it sounds like the world has gone mad,” said Graeme Smith, deputy chief fire officer. “Firefighters will climb ladders to rescue people from burning buildings, but not to remove bunting after a festival.

“One is a 999 job, where to save lives we will take calculated risks. The other is a property maintenance job, which is covered by standard health and safety rules that we would have to abide by, the same as everyone else. That could mean closing the road and using a platform to reach the bunting.

“Unfortunately, if we went down that route people might ask why we are paying firefighters to use our top-level rescue equipment to remove a few flags, when a local contractor could do the job just as well.”

The regulations no longer allow the use of ladders to hang or remove decorations, and the work must be done by technicians using hydraulic platforms. Specialist testing gear must be used to assess the safety of bolts anchoring decorations such as Christmas lights, and lampposts have been deeemed unsuitable for hanging decorations. Mark Smith, a councillor, former mayor and member of Ampthill’s festival committee, said in his blog: “The festival committee has always appreciated [the firefighters'] assistance in the past and is working towards getting them down, although I still find them quite cheery.”

He had, however, received complaints that the bunting was starting to look tatty. Residents used the online Ampthill Today forum to express their bemusement.

Charlie Garth wrote: “What the blazes? I’m sure our brave firemen aren’t frightened about falling off a piddling little ladder. They have never looked afraid of heights to me.

“After all, they are used to climbing giant turntable ladders with choppers in their hands and rescuing cats from the tops of tall trees.”

The costs associated with safety testing and installation of decorations have influenced plans to mount displays of Christmas lights for traders’ groups and local councils around the country.

An increasingly litigious culture had caused the cost of liability cover to rise, the Association of British Insurers said.

In turn, insurers were insisting on sticking to rules by the letter, and rising insurance premiums to cover Christmas decorations were becoming too high for traders and local councils to meet, the Federation of Small Businesses said.

In Clevedon, near Bristol, North Somerset Council told traders that lights could no longer be attached to lampposts or buildings, making a display unworkable. In Sandwell, West Midlands, traders were told that lights could not be hung across roads in case the cables broke.

In Bodmin, Cornwall, the council faces a £1,200 bill to train two workers to test all 150 bolts holding lights or cables, using a cherry-picker. On top of that the council must cover wages and the cost of hiring the equipment, and shut town-centre streets while the work is done.

In Dereham, Norfolk, traders face a bill of more than £10,000 for Christmas lights. Health and safety issues have contributed heavily to the cost.

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