Gosport garage puts on Christmas display including four-metre-high tree of tyres

Residents may have seen two cars covered in Christmas lights making their way through the town as staff from Moreland Motor Services in Park Street take their display for a spin each evening.

Last year, business owner Steve Harding came up with the idea of a Christmas car of lights, but this year they have gone bigger and better with two bright vehicles on display outside the garage.

However, Steve’s masterpiece is the 4m Christmas tree of 21 tyres and 800 colour-changing lights which was officially switched on yesterday by mayor of Gosport Kathleen Jones.

Steve said: ‘I’d been toying with the idea for a couple of years to do something to bring a smile to people’s faces. The response was absolutely fantastic in the town last year.’

At around 4.30pm each day, a member of the team takes the car out for a spin around the town which always attracts a lot of attention from passers-by, but people can also go along to the auto repair shop and see the cars blasting out favourite Christmas tunes.

‘People’s faces, that’s the thing,’ said Steve,

‘People just stop dead in their tracks, it’s such a feel good factor.’

The newest car on display is a Volvo which started life as a hearse. Steve said: ‘It’s spent its whole life carrying sad people around so it’s just to make people smile.’

If people want to see the cars but can’t get to Moreland Motor Services, Steve said he will bring the cars to them.

The garage is gaining a bit of a reputation for its crazy creations, after earlier this year when the team won the Two Ball Banger Rally in a Wacky Races-inspired ride, which also resides outside the shop.

Steve visited Heathfield Special School in Fareham to show the pupils what they had made.

He said: ‘I can’t explain what a feeling that gave me. For me it was a couple of hours of my time but they’re still talking about it now. They were absolutely buzzing.’