End of March light repair date as 12 week wait set to end

Gillian Greer claims she has complained about the light two or three times and knows of others who have rang up as well.

“The light went out and they just haven’t replaced it,” she said. “Between us I think we have complained about six times.

“The first time I rang up about the light I was told that street lighting was no longer a priority.

“It has been about 12 weeks now. I could have accepted four weeks to give them ample time to fix it but they just don’t care.”

Gillian is concerned that someone may be hurt due to the lack of light in the area, after taking a fall herself.

She said: “A lot of pensioners live around here. My mum has to use a zimmerframe and I’m on crutches myself after having an operation on my foot.

“I actually fell one night because of the darkness and then phoned up to complain again.

“I’m not happy. People are paying taxes and not getting anything for it.”

The street lights in Ashfield are still the old orange lights and Gillian believes that the installation of LED lights may be on the way.

“We still have the orange lights around here. They are brilliant when they are working,” she said. “I think they’re not replacing this light because they are going to install LED lights.”

TransportNI have named the end of March as the date by which they hope to have Gillian’s streetlight fixed.

TransportNI spokesperson said: “Following the Executive’s decision to prioritise funding for street lighting maintenance in the last monitoring round, TransportNI is working to clear the backlog of defective lights, including the reported fault at Ashfield, by the end of this month (March).

“Anyone wishing to report a street light fault may do so online at:www.nidirect.gov.uk/street-lighting-and-reporting-a-fault, or by telephoning 0300 200 7899, or contacting their local TransportNI section office.”