Street left without lighting for months as councils pass the buck

Residents on a Lincoln street with no working lights have been scared to venture out after dark for months.

Kipling Close was pitch black after sunset, with many of the elderly and vulnerable residents resorting to torches.

Several of Kipling Close’s streetlights went out last April, and the final one in August.

Two people have fallen on the road in recent weeks, with fears that one could have been “laid there all night” because no one could see him.

The streetlight issues have been reported many times – however, the unadopted street appeared to have fallen in a bureaucratic black hole with no one taking responsibility for it.

Since the Lincolnite made enquiries, work has reportedly started to restore the lighting.

Kipling Close is completely dark after sundown | Photo: LDRS/The Lincolnite

It is unclear who was making repairs before April, or why they suddenly stopped.

A 70-year-old woman who lives on the street said: “I didn’t go out at night with no lights, and I never answered the door unless know someone’s coming.

“Even when my daughter comes round, I have to shine a torch so she can see her way.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen. I was been reporting the problem for months, and we had all had enough.”

Even going to visit her next-door neighbour after dark requires a torch.

Joanne Pedge, 48, said: “You couldn’t see a thing when it’s dark. A couple of weeks ago, my support worker fell over bollard and got hurt.

Councils are unsure who is supposed to manage the street | Photo: LDRS

“We also had someone dodgy knocking on the doors in the middle of night pretending to be a delivery driver. We shouted at him to go away, but he wouldn’t have even dared if we’d had proper lighting.”

Another woman whose elderly mum who lives on the street said: “We’ve been going round in circles trying to find out who owns the land.

“My brother had fall outside last month. If people hadn’t been coming out of their house, no one would have been able to see him – he would have been laid out there all night.

“There are vulnerable people here. The lights should be on all night, let alone not turning on.”

Lincolnshire County Council said the city council’s housing services were responsible as the road was unapopted.

However, the city council said they don’t maintain street lighting.

The Lincolnite understands that an agreement is now being worked out on who will look after the street in the future.

Update

A spokesperson for City of Lincoln Council said: “While street-lighting is usually the responsibility of Lincolnshire County Council, they have not adopted Kipling Close as a county highway and therefore we visited to fix the lights earlier today.

“We were able to repair and replace two of the three lights. Unfortunately, we were unable to access the third, so we are sourcing additional equipment which will allow us to do so.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the delay.”