Residents of a Fife street have been left in the dark for six weeks following a streetlight fault.
People living in Bayview Crescent in Methil are finding their way home at night by the lights from their neighbours’ Christmas decorations.
But one disabled woman says she is too frightened to leave her house in case she falls.
And home carers visiting clients in the dark street fear they are at risk.
Resident Ailsa Wilson reported the issue to ScottishPower on November 9 but repairs are unlikely to be carried out until January.
It is one of 60 ScottishPower faults across Fife, many of which have been ongoing for several months.
And Fife Council is said to be angry at the lack of action from the utility company, which is having to shell out thousands of pounds in fines as a result.
‘An accident waiting to happen’
Ms Wilson described her Methil street as “absolutely pitch black” in the evenings.
“My neighbour is kind enough to leave his Christmas lights on 24/7 to help out, which is great of him.
“But before they went up, I couldn’t go out after 4pm because I was too scared.”
Ms Wilson, who walks with a stick, added: “One time I was coming home and didn’t see the edge of the kerb. I almost fell.
“It’s an accident waiting to happen.”
The householder accused Fife Council and ScottishPower of blaming each other.
And she said: “They’re passing the buck back and forward and no-one is taking responsibility.”
Methil streetlights issue ‘not good enough’
SNP councillor John O’Brien is also angry at the situation, which he described as appalling.
And he said: “These people are paying their council tax but they’re not getting a service.
“This is not good enough from ScottishPower.”
The firm is fined for every repairs target missed and is currently paying Fife Council many thousands of pounds per quarter.
And Mr O’Brien added: “They would be cheaper fixing the faults than paying the council thousands of pounds in fines.”
Bayview Crescent in Methil is one of a number of areas where the streetlights are powered by ScottishPower cables.
Apology as outstanding faults reported across Fife
The council’s roads maintenance manager Bill Liddle confirmed: “At the moment we have around 60 outstanding ScottishPower faults across Fife.
“The majority of these are single street lights.
“Underground cable faults can take more time to fix and we are in discussion with ScottishPower on the time it is taking to repair these faults on the street lighting network.
“Fines are payable to the council if target dates are not met.
“We will continue to press for any outstanding work to be completed as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, ScottishPower has apologised for the situation.
Repairs to continue throughout festive period
A spokesperson for the firm’s network operator SP Energy Networks said: “We’re sorry for the inconvenience caused and appreciate the impact this has had on residents.
“We’ve arranged a street lighting repair programme as a priority, which will continue throughout the festive period.
“We expect to have these repairs complete by early next year and thank customers for their patience while we work hard to repair these faults as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Conversation