The Havant lamps that don't go out
Street lights in the centre of Havant have been left on day and night since mid-November.
Twenty-five street lamps on Market Parade have been on non-stop for at least 78 days, since November 10 when resident Leslie Hyson first noticed the problem.
And while Hampshire County Council says it can't say for certain why the error has been made, Mr Hyson was told it could be because the lights' sensors are covered in dirt.
Mr Hyson, 75, of Rowan Road, Havant, said: 'I waited to make sure it wasn't just a one-off, but they were on, full beam, through the daylight hours. I decided to try to find out what was going on. It's amazing that, in an economic downturn, the council would leave the lights on 24 hours. It's also bad for the environment.'
He contacted Havant Borough Council on November 20, but was told the lights were the responsibility of Hampshire County Council.
He said: 'An engineer spoke to me at the start of January. He said the problem could be the sensors rely on the amount of light they receive, so lights only come on in the hours of darkness.
'He said dirt and dust from traffic may have blocked them, so they are registering the same amount of light they would when it goes dark. I can't understand why they haven't been sorted out yet. It's such a waste.'
Peter Walden, leader of Havant's Over 50s group, said: 'It seems somebody's not doing their job. In terms of day-to-day danger there are worse things, but surely this is a waste of electricity and money. Will we have to foot the bill as taxpayers?'
Havant Borough Council's mayor, Councillor Jackie Branson, added: 'I can't see why these lights are on all day. They should be turned off for the good of the environment.'
Hampshire County Council's street lighting contract is operated by Southern Electric Lighting Services. Although it costs 58 per street light, per year, for the electricity to keep the lights on in darkness, its three-way agreement with Southampton City Council and West Sussex County Council, costing 225m per year, means the error will not cost Hampshire County Council any extra money.
A spokeswoman said: 'This will be covered by our contract with Southern Electric Lighting Services. We don't know the exact cause, but we know there has been a failure of the controller that operates the lights and an engineer from Southern Electric Lighting Services will rectify the fault.'
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