Lights to be replaced by energy efficient LEDs

The underpass off Lower Shelton Road was mentioned during the recent Marston Against Crime (MAC) public meeting (25 September 2019). One of the complaints was the number of faulty lights (The Chronicle found that 14 of the 24 lights were out).

Residents told the meeting that they had reported this to the council, but had little response. It was suggested that a local electrician could fix them, but David Pryor, from Streetwatch, said that it would be an offence to do so.

Following the meeting, Jeanette Little, who started MAC, reported on Facebook that CBC said the replacement lights have been on order since the 5 July and take 12 weeks to come through. She added that they are due to be installed some time in October.

The Chronicle contacted the Council to ask why repairs haven’t been carried out sooner. Also, if all the lights were faulty, would it still take 12 weeks to replace them? A CBC spokesperson said:

“Council officers have discovered the control gear that runs the lighting is failing due to age. We are therefore installing new LED lighting which, among other advantages, is more energy efficient.

“The new fittings are vandal resistant and while the current working lights are around 20 years old we do not anticipate further failures before we begin the work to replace them.

“Residents can report issues with subway lighting on our website at https://beta.cb-report-it.co.uk/.”

When asked if a risk assessment of the underpass had determined a minimum number of serviceable lights, the spokesperson said that the Council had not set a minimum number.