FUNNY man Ken Dodd made it a hat-trick of Christmas switch-ons in Leigh on Saturday.

The comedian cheered the crowds who had braved torrential rain to watch the annual event.

And Doddy, turning the lights on for the third year on the trot, declared Leigh the "best town in Lancashire" as hundreds of children and adults jostled for a better view of him performing the ceremony from the Town Hall balcony.

And he promised: "Don't worry about the rain, Leigh is going to have roses in January and the tallest councillors -- they're all going to be seven feet six".

Doddy opened festivities alongside Mayor Cllr Mrs Joan Hurst and Leigh town centre management committee chairman Cllr Brian Jarvis.

A cascading curtain of light now illuminates the town hall and decorations feature a £6,000 tree almost 30 feet tall.

Adorned with thousands of lights, the artificial tree has pride of place alongside a life-sized Santa climbing up the roof.

The Christmas run-up began earlier with circus performers, a stilt-walker, free face-painting, a magic sow and numerous displays.

After the switch-on, Doddy said: "They love to laugh in Leigh. They know where their chuckle bone is. It's a town brimming with Christmas goodwill.

"I love switching lights on. I like to see the kiddies' faces. It takes me back to when I was a little Diddyman, looking forward to Christmas coming and all the excitement."