A town has been left in darkness for a week after a stretch of street lights on a main road stopped working. Residents first reported the problem on Friday, January 6, and explained that on Hempshill Lane, from Low Road Road until the Northern Cemetery, in Bulwell, the street lights were not working.
Bulwell resident, Elaine Woodacre, 65, has described the situation as needing an "urgent" fix. She said: "It's so dangerous, it's pitch black.
"You could either get mugged, you could fall over, as unless a car is coming up that road you literally can't see. Where the bus turns in it's pitch black, there is nothing there whatsoever and the buses just drive by; they are not coming in, so on Saturday we were stood there and they were going by."
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Elaine has reported the situation to Nottinghamshire County Council, saying: "I have called more or less everyday. On Wednesday I did see someone come out to the lights and I thought 'oh they have been repaired', but when I came in Wednesday evening again it was in darkness."
Elaine feels that the issue needs to be treated a priority as it is leaving commuters and school pupils in the dark on their way to and from work and school. Speaking about the street lighting, a 47-year-old woman, who lives in Bulwell but asked not to be named, said: "It's been nearly a week now, its dangerous and it's just not really acceptable.
"You can't see anyone else, to the point of that someone could be hiding in there and jump out at you and you wouldn't know as it's so dark. Also because of the leaves and that it's slippy, so if someone fell over they would be there for days as you can't see anything."
Gary Wood, head of highways and Transport at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We are aware of a number of streetlights not working on Hempshill Lane, Bulwell, and our Lighting Inspectors investigated earlier this week. They discovered an issue with the power supply to the affected lampposts and are awaiting Western Power Distribution to attend the site and make the repair.”
Ethan Radford, Councillor for Bulwell, added: "I was recently contacted by a resident on Hempshill Vale estate who informed me the street lamps on the top of Hempshill Lane had stopped working. That part of the road caters to a school crossing outside a primary school, a bus stop and a crossing from a busy junction at peak traffic times, so adequate street lighting is a must here.
"I have raised the issue with the Council department for street lighting and have asked that it be attended to as soon as is possible due to the considerable safety concerns. Part of the road the lights have stopped working on comes under the county council’s responsibility, and I have asked that they are urgently contacted and made aware also.”
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