Faulty Stevenage street lights lead to man being hospitalised
- Credit: Archant
A “complete lack of care” regarding a row of unrepaired street lights and a damaged pavement has led to an elderly man being hospitalised, according to residents who fear it could happen again.
A paramedic crew was called to Silkin Court, sheltered housing accomodation in Cotney Croft, Stevenage, on Friday evening after an 86-year-old man fell while walking home.
The man, who suffers from dementia, had been to a nearby shop but struggled to see his way home as a row of five faulty street lights were not working.
He was taken to Lister Hospital in the town with minor head and shoulder injuries but his neighbour, Charles Harman, 73, says the situation could have been a lot worse.
The problem was first reported to Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) on Friday morning, along with significant damage to a pavement, which residents believe is partly responsible for the accident.
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Both the lights and the paving are yet to be resolved, almost a week on.
Mr Harman said: “This kind of thing could easily happen to anyone living around here and the longer they leave it, the higher the risk of another accident.
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“You try to tell the council that there’s a problem but it feels like there’s a complete lack of care on their part. There are a lot of elderly residents around here and you just get the impression that they are not concerned for the safety of these vulnerable people. This is a serious issue. What do we have to do to get something done?”
A second resident, who asked not to be named, said: “The council should be working to ensure the saftey of the people who live here. It’s not until accidents like this happen that anyone decides to actually get anything done. I’m not at all happy with the way this situation has been dealt with.”
Matthew Kelley, divisional manager for Ringway which deals with maintenance issues on behalf of HCC, said: “We are aware that some street lights are currently not working in Silken Court, our teams are currently investigating the issue.”
