BUSINESSES are being encouraged to spend a penny or two in the morning and afternoon in a novel approach to saving cash for Christmas lights.

Chesham Town councillors are hoping to get retailers to loosen their purse strings and put a few pennies in a pot to save up for lights around the town.

Although some smaller community businesses gave £50 and time to make the Christmas lights a reality last year, some major companies such as Iceland did not contribute.

Bright spark Mike Kennedy, town clerk, and Lamps and Tubes of Chesham, who are likely to be putting up the lights, came up with the idea of a promotional notice with the phrase 'You can buy Christmas lighting for Chesham with just ten pence'.

The idea behind the scheme, put forward at the Chesham Town Council Revitalisation Committee on Monday, is to get each business to put ten pence in a pot every morning and afternoon until enough money can be collected and used to put up the lights.

The town council has already made provision for £4,620 towards the lights but are looking to raise up to £8,000 to finance feature decorations to light up the town.

Town councillor Tony Reed (Waterside, Lib Dem) said that some businesses needed to be a little more generous.

He added: "If they think the lights are provided so they can see the way to their tills they are wrong.

"The lights are for the customers benefit and I hope businesses will take a much more enlightened view with this scheme."

However, Eric Springate, chairman of the Amersham and District Chamber of Commerce, said: "Many retailers paid for the lights above their premises.

"But the majority of those who won't donate are the big boys in retail."

A spokesman for Iceland said that they had 760 stores and would find it difficult to fund such ventures as they already give considerable amounts to charity.