Street light vandals could put lives at risk
Warwickshire County Council is warning about the dangers of tampering with Streetlights as vandals are potentially putting lives at risk.
It follows the theft of fuse carriers from a number of streetlights in Keresley on Thursday 19 November, causing lighting in the area to fail and leaving live electrical terminals exposed.
Emergency engineers from Warwickshire County Council’s Street Lighting team have now made the equipment safe, however the replacement of damaged wiring may not be completed until early next month.
Cllr Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment with responsibility for Highways, said: “Damage to street lighting can be very costly to repair and can have serious implications to the community both in terms of safety and security.
“Not only that, exposing cables can be very dangerous if not fatal because of the electrical current passing through them, so I would urge those responsible to stop before someone gets hurt.”
It is expected that the cost of repairs could run in to thousands of pounds.
Mike Cunningham, Principal Lighting Engineer for Warwickshire County Council’s Street Lighting Team, said: “We’re asking motorists and residents to be vigilant and report anyone acting suspiciously around street lighting, especially at night.
“Generally, our teams do not work outside the hours of 6am and 6pm, unless there is an emergency. However, if they do they will always have ‘Warwickshire County Council / Carillion’ livery on jackets or other equipment.
“If you think you have spotted anything suspicious, please contact the Police on 01926 415000 or the County Street Lighting Team on 01926 736547. You can also report street lighting faults by texting LIGHTING and the fault details including town, street and column number or location to 07950 081 082*."
To find out more information about roads and travel in Warwickshire, including fault-reporting, visit, http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roads.
* Standard call charges apply