Safety fears over street lighting not working for last two years

Complaints have been raised about the street lighting on St Peter's Street in Lowestoft, where local residents say over half the lights do not turn on at night.

According to resident John Newsom, the situation is worse at the east end of St Peter's Street by the roundabout with the A47.

According to the latest crime data from police, St Peter's Street saw 16 crimes reported in November 2021, one of the highest in that particular area of the town.

Eight of these were related to anti-social behaviour, two were related to burglary, two were related to criminal damage and arson and four were related to other crime.

Mr Newsom said the lack of street lighting intensifies safety concerns in the area.

"It has been like this for around two years now," he said.

"It is not the prettiest or safest area of the town and during this time of year it feels like the dark ages walking around the area.

"It doesn't feel safe to walk up the road at night at the moment.

"We pay our taxes so it is only fair that situations like this are sorted.

"Not only is this unfair on pedestrians who want to walk up the road at night, I can imagine for drivers visibility is a huge issue for them as well, particularly around the A47 area.

"Something needs to be done to improve the lighting."

A spokeswoman for Suffolk County Council confirmed these street lights are owned by Highways England and that the council had reported the issue to the highways agency.

A spokesman for Highways England said: "Currently the street lights around St Peter’s Street and the A47 in Lowestoft are older sodium lanterns, which are no longer manufactured.

"Due to this we have had to source lanterns that will allow newer LED lighting to blend in with the existing lanterns, whilst still maintaining lighting levels to current standards.

"Now we have found a suitable new lantern, we’re planning to repair the lighting in Lowestoft and elsewhere across the region in the spring."