A STREET is still in darkness after a year because a council has still not turned on new lights.

Lawrence Harris, 84, and his neighbours in Lee Walk, Laindon, feel too scared to go out at night.

Last summer, Essex County Council removed lights from Lee Walk as they had corroded and become unsafe.

It took until April for new lamps to be installed and the council still hasn’t got around to turning them on.

Mr Harris, said he and his wife, Teresa, 77, as well as many of his neighbours, feel unsafe to walk in the street at night.

He said: “They installed them in April, why has no one been down? We are talking about health and safety here.

“We are old age pensioners. My wife and I are partially sighted and my wife has to get a taxi just to go to her woman’s club in The Knares because she feels so worried.”

An highways spokesman said: “Essex Highways will begin work within the next fortnight on street lighting columns across the county following a transfer from old to new lighting columns that took place in the last financial year.

“The switch on of the lighting column in Lee Walk will be a part of this work.”