Faulty streetlights pitch town into near blackout
A light-up collar is all that can be seen of a dog in Lichfield Road, Great Yarmouth, where street lights are broken. - Credit: Archant
A dog is invisible in the jet black night, save for its light-up collar.
But this is not Britain in the wartime blackout - it is central Great Yarmouth with its shonky streetlights.
More than 50 of the lamps were found to be faulty when local councillors went on a walkabout to tot up the tally.
And frustratingly, around half a dozen had the opposite problem - glowing all day and night, wasting taxpayers’ money.
All of the faulty streetlights will be reported to council officers, in a bid to get them quickly fixed.
The snap survey was conducted after concerns were voiced at the Yarmouth Area Committee meeting on December 10.
It took in the area of Yarmouth between Northgate Street and Yarmouth Way, with particular focus on the Rows and alleyways around King Street and Market Place.
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Mick Castle, councillor for Central and Northgate ward, was joined by Southtown and Cobholm councillor John Holmes, Nelson ward councillor Michael Jeal, Yarmouth North councillor Charlie Marsden and Peter Fitzgerald of the Great Yarmouth Residents Association.
The group conducted two inspections on December 20 and 21, firstly in the town centre, then broadening out to the station and Asda approach road and Southtown Road areas.
Mr Castle, who is also chairman of Yarmouth Area Committee, said the findings were “every bit as bad as feared” with more than 50 lamps found to be out of order.
“I am grateful to councillors for doing a timely audit of what lamps are not currently working,” he added. “I will ensure that the relevant county and borough officers are made aware of these findings and I trust that the lamps will be put back in order as soon as practicable.
“The safety and convenience of the public is of course paramount especially on dark winter nights.”
Oxford Dictionaries: shonky, Australian/NZ informal, adj (shonkier, shonkiest), dishonest, unreliable, or illegal, especially in a devious way.
