CHRISTMAS lights should be switched on a week later than usual for a greener Christmas, says the Bishop of Bolton.

The Rt Rev David Gillet has called on families to delay lighting up their trees and houses.

The environmental cost of Christmas is top of the agenda after a study showed travelling, shopping and other festive activities have a huge negative impact.

The bishop said: "When I think of the Christmas message, how God blessed the world with the simplicity of giving a baby, to celebrate that baby's birthday by wasting energy and contributing to destroying the environment seems incongruous.

"We can all take small steps each year to reduce the environmental impact.

"I don't want to be a killjoy and it should be up to individuals how they choose to do it, but perhaps if we turned on our Christmas lights a week later we would all begin to make a difference with that small gesture."

As well as the traditional tree lights, in recent years more and more families are festooning their houses and gardens with huge light displays.

The Christmas roast, travelling to see family, shopping and wrapping paper have all been shown to be responsible for massive carbon emissions. "All that extra electricity is wasted," said the bishop. "We seem to be turning on the lights earlier and earlier each year. We use enough wrapping paper to wrap the island of Guernsey.

"Issues like global warming are problems that will affect our children and grandchildren and at this family time we should give that consideration."

Traditionally, Christmas trees were not brought into the home and decorated until Christmas Eve.