A PETITION calling for the streetlights to be turned back on received more than 160 new signatures in just one night after a crime spree.

On Thursday, the Echo told how a red Rover Maestro was stolen from a garage in Fletchers, Lee Chapel, before thieves went on to break into three cars in nearby Rantree Fold and another in Sporhams.

It has also been revealed the stolen car was used by the culprits to drive around and do the damage.

The wrecking spree came just a month after police vowed to draft in extra officers following a spate of burglaries in the area.

Residents have blamed the increase in crime on the lack of streetlights after Essex County Council decided to plunge many streets into darkness between midnight and 5am in a bid to save cash.

The Labour Party launched a petition asking Basildon residents to support its campaign to get lights in the borough turned back on, and it now has more than 400 signatures.

Forty per cent of those were posted between last Thursday and Friday, following the Echo's report.

Councillor Andrew Gordon, who represents Nethermayne, said he would now be contacting County Hall and the police to call for urgent action.

He said: “I am concerned about this sudden rise in crime.

I welcome the news that extra police have been drafted in.

However, the county council has an incredible amount to answer for after turning off our streetlights.

“It frustrates me, having lived in Basildon all my life, to know someone who lives in a leafy village in North Essex plunges Basildon into darkness, leading to this.’’

Fellow Labour councillor Allan Davies, who lives in Lee Chapel, has neighbours who have been targeted by criminals in recent weeks.

He said: “The local community is quite rightly concerned. This area is usually one of the safer parts of Basildon and people here are shocked.

“Local residents are in the process of organising a meeting with councillors and the police to discuss this problem."

County Hall is expected to save £222,000 a year after turning to part-night lighting.

Couple’s delight as stolen lifeline car is found

AN elderly couple who lost their lifeline after their beloved 24- year-old Rover was stolen are happy it’s been found.

Peter Groves, 76, and wife Patricia, 75, were devastated when they woke last Wednesday and discovered their garage door open and the car missing.

Details of the theft spread over social networking websites, and a stranger contacted the family after spotting the vehicle in Cotelands, Vange.

They are set to get it back in two weeks, once it has been fully inspected for evidence by officers.

Mr Groves, of Fletchers, Lee Chapel, said: “I thought it would have been torched , so I’m really surprised we’re getting it back.

“We're over the moon. My wife has her lifeline back. Now she can go to the shops and visit our daughters again.’’ The same night thieves broke into a Renault Megane, a Ford C-Max and a Ford Focus in Rantree Fold, and a Citroen Picasso in Sporhams.

Police said it was too early to officially link the crimes, but confirmed it was a main line of enquiries.

Anyone with information should contact officers at Basildon police station on 101.