VILLAGERS are warning a faulty streetlight is “an accident waiting to happen”.

The streetlight in Main Street, Wheldrake, has been reported to City of York Council by a number of residents in recent months. It is claimed it creates a pool of darkness over a kerb and is a trip hazard.

Chris Rose said he had contacted the council on a number of occasions, and neighbouring residents had complained before him, but he wanted action to be taken after an incident this week.

He said: “The light has been broken and flickering on and off when it works, and has now given up the ghost.

“A little old dear tripped up the other night and it’s got beyond a bit of a joke. It’s just pitch black.

“The council told me it has been repaired but it goes on for five minutes then off for quarter of an hour or so.”

Rob Thomas, manager of Think Tank Entertainment in Main Street, said he had also reported the fault to a helpline on the lamppost “eight or nine times in the last year”.

He said: “I’ve seen the council come out and scratch their heads and it comes on in the day time, but at night it doesn’t work. I think people have got sick of reporting it.

"I think it’s absolutely disgraceful when we’re paying council tax and business rates and City of York Council can’t even fix a streetlight that’s been reported. I’ve heard people say they’ve been reporting it for years.”

Mr Thomas said the pavement near the light is uneven, and people “can’t see to the next lamppost”.

He also said he had reported the fault to the council himself “two or three times” in the last six months.

Mr Rose said: “It’s like being in a field in the middle of the night. It’s really dark until the next streetlight.

“I have nearly tripped up there, so for any old person it’s an accident waiting to happen.

“A friend of mine had to help up an old lady who’d tripped over the pavement which is very narrow and when we can’t see at night, it’s just pitch black.”

A council spokeswoman said it had only one record of one report of a fault in the last 14 months, and a preliminary investigation suggested the electricity board would be required to fix it.

However, a revisit showed there was “a problem with the trip which was reset”, and the council believed the light to be working again.

The spokeswoman said a worker had been sent to inspect the lamppost again on Friday to make a thorough investigation.