A rotten streetlighting column crashed to earth across two driveways in Framwellgate Moor earlier this week.

The column on Holmlands Crescent came down in the middle of the day and it could have been a disaster if someone had been stood there at the time, or driving off their driveway or if it had fallen into the road. Thankfully no one was hurt and residents were quick to report it and the council promptly removed it.

I have been asking the council to improve the state of the footpath at this location for many years, including again in July and September last year as reported on this blog. Whilst the column failed because it was completely rusted, the pavement is in such a poor state that it may have contributed to water sitting and rotting the column, and the lack of any firm pavement to hold it up can’t have helped.

I took a look on google maps, and there is rust visible around the base of the column on pics in 2009, 2014 and 2015.

Needless to say I have put a list of questions to council officers at the highest level today including about maintenance schedules, the state of this particular path and who is supposed to have been checking columns . (Which I will report back on ).

Years ago both before and after budget cuts started Lib Dem councillors complained about cuts to street lighting painting, maintenance and testing budgets by our Labour-run council.

Can I urge all residents to take a look at the street lighting column outside their house and if there is corrosion around the base to report it and let us know so we can make sure it is checked out.