I HAVE just finished work at midnight and taken a 20-minute walk home...in PITCH BLACK!
Apparently, the council has decided people don't need street lights any more. So, it has stopped using them, at the MOST important time of the day, when people commit crime.
We rely very heavily on CCTV in this country and I am proud of that fact. So, I really don't think its wise to turn the lights off.
We are allowing every criminal to disappear into the night without a trace. How stupid can we be?
What if you haven't got the money for a taxi or you've missed your last bus home?
This ignorant and very dangerous decision has obviously been made without care for people who have to work unsociable hours and like to use the most carbon efficient method of transport ever – walking!
Many vulnerable people are at risk. You do not scrimp on people's safety.
If they are that worried about stopping light pollution and lowering carbon emissions, they would be talking to the big corporates about their 'activities'.
So do not tell me this is about anything other than making profit? For fat cats who can afford taxis?
It all feels like some strange curfew that somehow infringes on my human rights.What am I paying my council tax for?
You should be able to walk home in the night, in relative safety, knowing the dos and don'ts, with the street lights on.
If you cannot see two metres in front of you, that is clearly not safe. Sadly, but inevitably, we will probably have to wait until someone gets attacked, before heads will roll, and they see the light (literally).
Then they will be forced to admit they were wrong and turn the lights back on.
The situation is incredible, and completely unacceptable.
I felt like Cinderella last night, rushing to get home before midnight.
It's utterly ridiculous, Essex County Council. Please do your job and keep us safe.
Leanne Lakey
Chelmsford
