DUP 'shocked and appalled' that some street lighting will not be turned back on in some rural areas

DUP Cllr Mark Baxter said: "I was shocked and appalled to learn that Roads Service have decided not to relight those columns that light back paths in Donaghcloney and indeed across the borough.

"Apparently this constitutes an upgrade with better lighting on road facing paths. This has been carried out without warning, no public consultation and with scant regard for public safety. Residents have enjoyed having these paths lit at night for years. Now they are a Mecca for anti social behaviour, increased dog fouling and downright dangerous for residents.

"Apparently this is now a country wide policy so we will see a lot less lights in our towns and villages as the upgrades are rolled out. In a time when people are paying much higher rates and taxes but apparently are receiving reduced services they are quite rightly aggrieved. For what it’s worth I call on the permanent secretary to revisit this ludicrous decision and reverse this dark paths policy.”

A DfI spokesperson said: “The Department is currently responsible for 291,101 street lights across NI. We have an ongoing capital programme to replace street lighting which has been deemed to have reached the end of its serviceable life. When a replacement street lighting scheme is installed a survey is carried out and lighting is installed only in those areas which meet the Department’s current policy for the provision of lighting. This policy has been in place for many years.

"In areas that do not meet the criteria the existing lighting will be removed but new lighting is not provided. In practice, this most commonly affects pathways which only provide access to the rear of houses, unadopted areas and rural locations.

"The lighting in the Baird Avenue area was recently upgraded as part of the Departments capital replacement programme. The footway in question only provides access to the rear of housing and therefore will not be re-lit. The Department recognises the importance of street lighting to residents, however, due to the ongoing budgetary constraints, we need to apply street lighting policy consistently across the whole road network.”