Kincorth residents have been forced to live in darkness for two weeks after their streetlights went out – despite repeated pleas to the council.
Disgruntled Adrian Johnston lives on Corthan Crescent, but tells us the lack of streetlights has also been a problem on neighbouring Corthan Drive.
However, the problem didn’t stop there.
After posting about the issue on Facebook, Adrian was shocked to discover lights were also out a couple of streets away at Abbotswell Crescent.
The 69-year-old has lived on the street for the last 33 years and said residents last faced a total blackout a couple of years ago.
But, the council were quick to fix the problem and resolved the issue within a week.
“This time, I don’t know what seems to be happening,” he said with a sigh.
Residents raise safety concerns
Frustrated with the endless darkness, Adrian decided to take action and called Aberdeen City Council to find out what was going on.
Once he got through to staff, Adrian argued that having no streetlights was “dangerous and a health hazard” for residents.
“Some of the people who live on this cul-de-sac are disabled,” he said.
“It has been really frosty and there has been no lights at all, it’s absolutely ridiculous.
“The pavements here are never sanded and it’s an accident waiting to happen – with the lights being out it’s even worse.”
But he wasn’t the only one on the street looking for a solution as he believes 10 of his neighbours also reached out to the council.
Lengthy wait for streetlights
Adrian revealed he called up the local authority last Wednesday, but after a 20-minute wait he was told someone would get back to him to explain what was happening.
“I was told it would be fixed within one and a half days and then I got an email saying it would be up to seven days.”
Council officials also had a request the pensioner thought was rather cheeky.
Adrian revealed: “When I phoned they said to me, ‘Can you go round and count all the lights that are not working?'”
But, did he do it?
“No, I didn’t,” he chuckled.
“It’s not my job to go and count lights.”
Temporary fix underway
However, just hours after the council was approached by The Press and Journal, engineers were seen on the street tending to the lights.
Have you had trouble with the council fixing problems in your area? Let us know in our comments section below
A council spokeswoman later confirmed the local authority was aware of the issue and said work was being done to find a fix to the problem.
She added: “A contractor is currently being engaged to install a temporary overhead cable to restore lighting until permanent repairs can be undertaken.”
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