Britain left in the dark with 33,000 broken streetlights: Local authorities taking up to three YEARS to fix lamps

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Streets across Britain are being plunged into darkness because councils cannot afford to fix the lights.

New figures show more than 33,000 streetlights considered necessary on roads are currently broken.

In some cases councils have taken almost three years to fix them. Fifteen councils had a streetlight that took a year or more to be fixed in 2016/17.

The figures were obtained by the Lib Dems in a Freedom of Information request to all councils, in which 118 responded.

Streets across Britain are being plunged into darkness because councils cannot afford to fix the lights (file photo)

Last night the AA warned elderly residents felt they had effectively been placed under a curfew because streets had become too dark to walk down.

The revelation comes despite local authorities planning to raise council tax by up to 5 per cent. Dozens of councils are already switching off their lights entirely as part of cost-cutting measures.

The rise in the number of streets being plunged into darkness raised fears of a rise in crime and road accidents.

The Lib Dems warned a lack of street lighting was 'a gift to criminals'.

Wera Hobhouse, Lib Dem Local Communities spokesman, said: 'It is shocking that in some areas it is taking months or even years to fix faulty streetlights.

Wera Hobhouse, Lib Dem Local Communities spokesman, described the streetlight situation as 'shocking'

'Our streets are being plunged into darkness as a result of cuts to council funding. It is a gift to criminals and a threat to public safety.

'This is especially concerning in the dark winter months when people rely on street lighting to get home safely.'

She added: ' Street lighting is crucial to help cut crime and reduce the risk of road accidents.

'Cash-strapped councils must be given more resources to detect faulty street lights and get them repaired as soon as possible.'

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA said: 'With local authorities taking more than a year to fix a streetlight, councils are making some roads unnecessarily dangerous.

'Neglecting to repair streetlights in a timely manner has meant some elderly residents feel they have been placed under a curfew, as some streets become too dark to walk down.

'The dimming of streetlights has contributed to 11 deaths since 2009. This dragging of heels is unacceptable, and residents will be interested to know why it took almost three years to fix the light on their road.

'How long does it take a council to change a streetlight?' might sound like the start of a joke, but the reality is that it's no laughing matter.'

Most councils take an average of a week to fix a broken streetlight, but for some councils the average is almost as long as a month, the figures reveal.

In total, more than 33,000 streetlights across the country are currently deemed broken.

The number of streetlights being reported faulty is down from 641,000 two years ago to 562,000 this year - down 12 per cent.

But local government officials said the fall could be a result of fewer night patrols checking how many lights are faulty.

The longest delays were in Suffolk, where one light took 1053 days to fix, followed by Knowsley council where it took the council 1002 days to fix a light this financial year.

Swindon council waited 871 days before they fixed their broken lights.

The average amount of time it took Knowsley council to fix a light was eight days this year.

Excuses for the delays included the need for extensive tree trimming, the need for portable scaffolding to reach inaccessible areas and a lack of special equipment.

Last year it emerged 85 per cent of councils are dimming or switching off some lights, up from 75 per cent three years ago.

An FOI found 1.27million lights – a total of 42 per cent – were being either switched off at night or dimmed.

This compared with a survey in 2014 of 141 councils, which found 24 per cent of lights were being switched off or dimmed.