What energy crisis? Dozens of street lights burn 24 hours a day in Milton Keynes - for almost a year

As the energy crisis deepens, renewed calls have been made for MK Council is deal with the city’s eternally-burning street lights.

For almost a year now, a long stretch of lights at Central Milton Keynes has never switched off. The bulbs burn 24 hours a day, seven days a week, leaving critics astounded at the waste of energy.

The faulty lights run along 2km, stretching through Secklow Gate and Silbury Boulevard, between Saxon Gate to Overgate, and also on the footway between the civic offices and Lloyds Court.

They were first reported to MK Council by CMK Town Council in February this year, but it is understood the problem had started many weeks before that.

In May this year CMK town councillor David Stabler again demanded action be taken, urging: “Is there any one working in the council who can take ownership and get the problem fixed please?”

At the time, an MK Council spokesman said: “An MK Council spokesman told the Citizen: “Due to how MK’s unique city centre streetlights are powered, a fault in a local electricity supply cabinet can affect 20 or more lights. While the electricity supplier is fixing the cabinet, our choice is either to bypass the sensor to keep the lights on all the time, or off all the time. As soon as the cabinet is repaired, the lights go back to their usual setting.

"We’re looking at replacing these streetlights with modern energy efficient versions that still maintain the look and feel of the original, but are easier to maintain.”

However, since then nothing has been done and the lights are still burning. Meanwhile, the price of electricity has rocketed during the energy crisis.

According to the Local Government Association, councils have seen a 37.5 per cent increase in the cost of running and repairing street lights over recent months, with some authorities reporting that their running costs have doubled.

In general, street lights use around 150W to 400W per light but LED bulbs are significantly cheaper. Milton Keynes Council has more than 58,000 street lights across the city and has already converted many of them to LED.

Once the LED roll out is complete, the council will be able to save between 50% and 70% on its street lamp energy bill.

Now Cllr Stabler is urging MK Council to carry out a scrutiny of all the lights in the city that are eternally burning or not working at all in order that they can be repaired as soon as possible.

“We are being warned by the doom mongers that we will have rolling blackouts this winter, due to the energy crisis. And energy prices are rocketing. So how is it that MK Council are unable to sort out this problem, about which they have been aware for so long?” he asked.

The Citizen has asked MK Council when the city centre lights will be fixed. We are awaiting a reply.