Hundreds of people packed into a residential street in Croxley Green on Saturday night to witness the Christmas House come to life.

Dave Edwards decorates his house in Lancing Way with thousands of Christmas lights every year.

On Saturday night, an estimated 750-800 packed into the street and watched as 14-year-old Ryan Wiggins turned on the lights.

Mr Edwards started the popular lights extravaganza in 1978 and donates the proceeds to charity. This year, the cash will go towards Anna Kennedy Online and the London Air Ambulance.

Wiggins, a student at Watford UTC, has Asperger’s and is a patron of Anna Kennedy Online.

Dave Edwards, 81, said: “It was a wonderful atmosphere. Everyone was dancing to the music. It was just electric.

“There was one guy who had come over from Brazil to see friends. They had told him about it and he said he wanted to see the lights. He told me he had not seen anything like this before.

“We also had two people who came up from Portsmouth just to see the switch-on and then they went home again. They had seen it on TV last year.”

After raising more than £5,000 last year, Edwards hopes a series of events planned for this festive period will take the total past the £6,000 mark for the first time.

Disney princesses will be performing outside the home in Croxley Green on Saturday, December 12 and a Santa’s Grotto will be opened up on Sunday, December 20.

Ryan Wiggins was chosen to turn the lights on after he had sat playing the guitar at each of the last three Santa’s grotto events.

“He did not believe how big the switch on would be”, Mr Edwards said.

“But I told him it is the biggest event in this area around Christmas time. We have three big events here in Croxley Green each year. There is Croxfest, Croxley Revels and then there is this. So Ryan was a bit gobsmacked.”

Lights at the house are on between 4pm and 10pm.