POOLE’S infamous “cone tree”, which saw the town subjected to national lampooning last Christmas, is up for sale.

The £14,000 artificial tree which graced Falkland Square last festive season, causing a wave of protest, was ridiculed in the national media and even resulted in the formation of a Facebook site dedicated to slating it – which gained more than 5,000 members.

The calamitous cone was eventually taken down before Christmas, at a cost of £300, and replaced by a real fir tree.

It has been in storage ever since.

Poole Town Centre Management has now confirmed the cone will not return. But this slice of Poole history can be yours – if you’re in the market for a 10 metre high fake tree variously compared to a traffic cone or a giant dunce’s cap.

Jonathan Sibbett, chairman of Poole Town Centre Management Board, said The Dolphin Shopping Centre would once again donate a real Christmas tree for Falkland Square – as they had done following the removal of the cone tree last year.

He added: “As a result of this generous offer, along with the negative reaction to the cone tree last year, the board has agreed to seek expressions of interest for its sale, and that process is now under way.

“The economy is still fragile and Christmas is an important time for our retailers, so we want all the focus to be on the Christmas offers in Poole and not be sidetracked by other issues.”

Interested parties have until the end of the month to submit their bids and can organise private viewing at the tree’s current location in Alderney. If all goes well the cone will be sold by October 11, but if the bids are not “appropriate” the tree will not be sold.

Poole Town Centre Management paid for the tree from its budget – only around one fifth of which is provided by Borough if Poole, with the rest from the private sector.