Best unclimbed: Lismore Council’s Christmas 
tree. Pic: Lismore Council

Three drunk revellers attempted to scale Lismore City Council’s colourful, recycled Christmas tree after imbibing too much Christmas spirit on Saturday night.

Lismore Police had to step in and restrain two 19-year-old women who they caught attempting to climb massive tree on Sunday morning. Police gave both women infringement notices for trespassing.

At around 2.30am on Sunday a 20-year-old man from Lismore also had a shot at scaling the 5.5 metre tree, made of 150 car tyres, 100 hub caps and 40 old lights from the Lismore Airport runway and painted by council staff. He was later fined for trespassing.

The police said all three “were intoxicated”.

Senior Constable David Henderson from the Richmond Local Area Command Crime Management Unit warned partygoers to steer clear of the tree and said there was a live CCTV feed from the Christmas tree to Lismore Police Station.

“The Christmas tree is there for the community to enjoy. However, climbing the tree is a dangerous act and we will take decisive action,” he said.

“Council is erecting a sign and we expect people to respect this and use their common sense. The last thing any family wants is a loved one being injured just before Christmas.”

A council spokesperson said that climbing the tree could be dangerous, “People could fall off the structure onto the concrete roundabout. The tyres are also connected by wire and screws, so there is potential for people to cut themselves on sharp edges.”

The Lismore Council’s recycled tree became a Christmas tradition after the runaway success of last year’s tree, which staff made out of recycled bicycles. Last years’ tree is on display at Clunes village this year.

“We love the idea of doing a tree each year made of recycled materials,” the council’s General Manager Gary Murphy said.

“The trees represent everything Lismore is about. They are sustainable, resourceful, colourful and quirky. We think it suits the personality of our city and our region, and judging from last year’s positive reaction, the community agrees.”

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