Street lighting scheme leads to disruption

A LURGAN man has hit out at the lack of notification about road disruptions in the Mourneview area.

Work being carried out to upgrade street lights in Brookehill, Darling Avenue and Houston Park has led to lengthy waits for residents travelling to and from their homes.

A Mourneview resident told the ‘MAIL’: “The first we knew was when contractors moved in and started to put in new light poles and dig trenches. Nobody knew this was happening. Nobody was told what disruption there would be.”

He said: “I’m not giving off about the work itself, but it’s the fact there was no prior warning given. It’s like Colditz trying to get in and out of the house.”

The man said an official from DRD Street Lighting department told him it is their policy not to inform people they are carrying out work.

It’s believed council were not aware of the disruption which led to chaos when bin lorries turned up for their regular collection last week.

A DRD spokesperson said: “Roads Service has had a rolling programme of improving street lighting in the Mouneview area for the past two years. These improvements benefit residents and road users alike and have been welcomed widely.

“Roads at Brookehill, Darling Avenue and Houston Park were not closed to traffic during the recent phase. There may have been short periods when local drivers or other traffic were delayed as the work progressed. Roads Service is sorry for any inconvenience which may have been caused and thanks local people for their patience.”

DRD did not comment on claims that Street Lighting have a policy not to inform people they are carrying out work.

A council spokesperson said council were not notified as a matter of course by the Street Lighting department regarding works, but the relationship was improving and communication was a lot more regular.

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