Locals to Reading have been airing their grievances on the Christmas Market which adorns Broad Street each festive period. 

One top contributor to the Facebook group Reading Berkshire UK Mark Roach posted a lengthy status explaining why he personally thoroughly dislikes the market, and feels that other cities do it so much better. 

"Why is Reading’s Christmas offering so s***? It’s got to be the worst of any town of a compatible size," Mr Roach said. 

"Yes, the new lights in Broad Street look nice. But I mainly mean the lack of any sort of Christmas market.

"There a few token gesture huts outside M&S in broad street selling mulled wine and hot chocolate and that’s about it."

He went on to explain how most towns and cities up and down the country have huge swathes of these German-style huts selling all sorts of trinkets and handmade gifts.

He also suggested that organisers could utilise market place through the abbey quarter and into Forbury.

He continued "If they put a decent one on I’m sure people would travel for miles to come here and experience it. Why are we always short-changed. The town wants to be a city. Behave like one."

Over two hundred people flooded the comment section to share their thoughts and ideas on Reading Christmas Market.

One person said "I have lived in Reading my whole life and it has never had anything decent at Christmas. A new town hall in the late sixties now pulled down a sixties shopping centre (The Butts) replaced by the Oracle which has now lost its two largest stores ad looks like it’s going to have more flats in place of the cinema."

A second person wrote "I am born and bred in Reading to me it’s the biggest disappointment and boring place on earth. I travel to other places like Birmingham to feel the spirit of Christmas. This is cr*p."

A third person wrote "Mark, I agree with you. It has died a death over the years and it's so sad. The lights look amazing this year but it always lacks something, doesn't it. It could be a vibrant town but no money to spend apparently. And the lack of shops doesn't help either."

However, some people came to the defence of the Christmas Market. 

One person wrote "There's plenty on the high Street. Me and my sister-in-law walked down there a couple of days ago and there was loads to choose from."