Dim view of 'pathetic' Kettering street lighting as campaigners left gloomy

The brightness of lighting along Deeble Road between Windmill Avenue and Warkton Lane had been raised by two Ise Lodge residents branding the bulbs ‘pathetic’.

For more than a year, cyclists Oliver Richmond and Nick Shaw had asked North Northants Council (NNC) to turn up the newly installed LED lights.

NNC admits the street lighting is now to a lower brightness level, but following a final survey says it still meets the standards required in its contract with lighting contractor Balfour Beatty.

Oliver, who uses the road daily to cycle to and from work, said: “I am appalled the council is to do nothing to improve the lighting.

“It is a serious safety issue, not only for drivers and cyclists, but for pedestrians who have to try and negotiate the dark pavements and cross at very dimly-lit crossings.

“I really fear someone will be hit by a driver who does not spot them.”

Campaigners had raised the matter directly with the council and at several council meetings, and received support from Cllr Elliott Prentice, who has also been pushing for improvements.

They also contacted Kettering MP Rosie Wrighting, who raised their concerns with highway bosses.

The council previously said it would cost £34,000 to upgrade the LED units in Deeble Road to achieve greater lighting levels, with an annual increase in electricity costs of just £350 per year.

Resident Nick Shaw was also involved in the campaign and said: “It is very disappointing the council has not listened to the real concerns people have.

"Since launching the campaign, we have been contacted by people in other areas where lights have also been changed to LED and they are just as concerned about how dim they are.

“It seems the council is putting money before safety, which is a complete failure of an organisation which is supposed to champion community safety.”

The final lighting survey was conducted following the installation of two new zebra crossings along Deeble Road in the autumn.

An email to the campaigners from NNC said: “NNC ward councillors have had previous meetings and discussions about the lighting across the bridge, and along the road in general.

"Following that, Balfour Beatty started a survey of Deeble Road lighting to ensure that the entire street complies with the standards in their contract with us, which was completed on the night of December 3.

“The findings confirm that overall, the lighting along the road meets the standards required in the contract. It is also worth noting that the older lighting had provided a higher level of lighting than the current standard.”

Two areas fell below the lighting standards set by the council, one near St Stephen's Road due to a tree obscuring the light on one side and the other across Deeble Road bridge.

The email added: “We can confirm that, following this, there will be no further adjustments to the lighting on Deeble Road.”