IT may only be July but talk has already turned to lighting up Haverhill during the Christmas period.

And the town centre is likely to become a twinkling festive wonderland this year thanks to changes to the lighting display.

Haverhill town councillors met on Tuesday night to discuss this year’s Christmas lights, which the council leases on a three-year cycle.

This year lights in Queen Street and Market Square are due for renewal, along with the Merry Christmas From Haverhill sign (pictured right), which stretches across the high street.

That sign, which has been placed near the arts centre in recent years, will go, and the high street is then likely to have four cross-street lighting features installed.

In the past it had been said fixtures on buildings in the high street were not strong enough to take a cross-street feature – but town council clerk Gordon Mussett said the contractors would be installing new fixtures especially for these features.

Their Christmas tree design was considered particularly favourable by councillors because it is designed to look attractive even when the lights are off.

The swathes of coloured lights which have been draped along either side of the high street may be replaced with strings of blue icicle lights, which can be operated from a smaller number of sockets and therefore means they will be more reliable.

The scheme is likely to be continued into Jubilee Walk, with the eventual aim of joining the town centre up with the cinema development and, finally, the new Tesco store.

The lights will also be more energy-efficient, costing the town considerably less to illuminate.

No decision has yet been made about the Christmas tree, which stands in the market square.