Street light failures

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A ROCHFORD MP is making a stand against broken and non-operational street lighting, which has left some Rochford District residents in the dark for over a year.

Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois met with the chief executive of UK Power Networks, Basil Scarsella, and councillor Laureen Shaw, responsible for highways at Essex County Council, to discuss the number of streetlights currently out of action in the area.

The Conservative MP says many elderly residents have contacted him after facing total darkness during the winter months.

Mr Francois said: “I have received a growing number of emails from worried constituents regarding the increasing number of non-operational streetlights, which is proving worrying for both drivers and pedestrians alike.

“Mr Scarscella has promised to update me accordingly over the coming weeks about how UK Power Networks are seeking to rectify this problem, as a matter of priority.”

A spokesman for Rochford District Council said: “The defect has now been raised as a priority and the cause will be investigated.

“Once the cause has been determined, we will be able to make plans to resolve the issue.”

UK Power Networks (UKPN) said that 23 out of 11 faults reported in the Rayleigh and Wickford were fixed by March 3.

They continued: “The outstanding job is close to two schools and requires traffic management, so is due to be completed in the Easter holidays to minimise disruption.

“We were then provided with a list of 285 streetlight faults in Essex.

“Following investigations, we can confirm 154 had already been completed and some further jobs were in our system. We are now scheduling the remaining extra jobs and our teams will continue to liaise with Essex County Council.”

Share this story!

A ROCHFORD MP is making a stand against broken and non-operational street lighting, which has left some Rochford District residents in the dark for over a year.

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