Daylight burners are 'a waste of money'

A streetlight burns energy during the daytime

Liberal Democrat councillors in Oldham have hit out at a 'waste of money' caused by the increased number of daylight burning street lamps.

Saddleworth North councillor Garth Harkness said: "During summer I have witnessed and reported several daylight burning lamps across a variety of villages.

"I know Liberal Democrat colleagues in Shaw and Crompton have done the same.

"When the PFI contract was awarded to EON some years ago the Liberal Democrat group was rather critical about the process.

"At the time one of the many things we questioned was daylight burning lamps.

"We were told that these lamps would burn for about the first 24 hours and then would not be a problem.

"Clearly they are and wasting money and energy.

Crompton Lib-Dem councillor Diane Williamson said: ”We were told that in the unlikely event of a daylight burning lamp thereafter there would be a system which automatically alerts EON and then action would be taken.

"Yet in recent months there have been many day burning lamps lit for long periods, and these have continued to shine even many weeks after we have reported them.”

Councillor Harkness added: “If we rightly aspiring to become a carbon-neutral Council, how is it that we can continue to waste electricity and Council tax-payers' hard-earned money on powering lights unnecessarily during the day?"

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