A “BURGLARY hot spot” has been left in the dark after a council cut down a street light without being able to afford a new one.

One of the only street lights in a Swanstead walkway Vange, has been removed, but will not be replaced until after April.

Another light which was broken for more than a month has only just been fixed by Essex County Council.

Furious resident Gavin Diani, 37, described it as “backwards”

and said his neighbour had been the victim of an attempted mugging earlier this month. Mr Diani, who lives in the road with his wife Gemma, 27, who is six months pregnant, and their two children, said: “I asked my neighbour if he saw who it was and he said he couldn’t see anything.

“Why would you chop down the old light if you didn’t know when you would replace it? The council is so backwards. I don’t understand the thought process.

“This is a dodgy area and not having street lights on is opening your door up for trouble.

This isn’t right. It isn’t safe.

“It’s already making us very uneasy – you can’t see anyone until you are on top of them.

“My wife doesn’t come home until 9.30pm. It makes me feel very nervous.”

A county council street lighting engineer said they were aware of the street light.

He said: “The faulty streetlight required special equipment to access it. It has been repaired. The other streetlight column was cut because it was deemed unsafe due to corrosion in a structural test last month.

It will be replaced in the new financial year.”