Voracious squirrels are going nuts for Christmas lights in Boston.

The Boston Globe reported that the furry rodents have chewed through electrical wires for the colourful, festive lights strung in trees on Boston Common.

Park officials said they have received numerous reports about holiday light outages on the city's online reporting app. One recent visitor noted nearly half the lights on the Common's 14m Christmas tree were out, an issue the city said has since been addressed.

The lights are hanging in about 60 trees, the visitors' centre and other buildings in the historic park.

The contractor hired to string and maintain the lights has turned to using a repellent derived from hot peppers to deter the squirrels.

A parks department spokesman said the animals appear to have a fondness for copper.