A STREET lighting replacement scheme underway in Abergele has been described as a ‘fiasco’ by a resident.

A programme of street lamp replacement, to change to more efficient LED lighting, is in progress in the town.

John Royston, of Abergele, said he applauds the scheme - that will mean whiter light - but deemed the work and how it is being conducted as ‘shambolic’.

Mr Royston penned a letter to Conwy County Borough Council as well as cllr Sam Rowlands, Leader of Conwy County.

He said: “Replacement of the lamp outside our home and others on adjoining streets is underway. First, a team came to dig out around the old posts and plant the new one. The holes were fenced off for some days before a second team came along and part filled the holes with aggregate.

“After a week plus, electricians came and disconnected the supply from the old and connected it to the new.

“The street lighting contractors returned to the site a couple of times but they were not seen to do anything.

“A team arrived and started to re-Tarmac the holes to repair the pavement. I spoke to them and commented that it was a waste of resources and Tarmac as the old posts had not been removed. The response was on the lines of - ‘not my job to question this’.

“Now another team is going to have to come round, dig out around the old post, remove it, then I assume another team will return, back fill the hole and re-Tarmac the area."

Cllr Sam Rowlands said: “We are looking into the matter. We are pleased that Mr Royston has raised it. We do want to do things right the first time so we are grateful that this has been brought to our attention so we can learn and improve.”

A spokesperson for Conwy Council's Environment, Roads and Facilities Service explained the process for renewing the street lights.

They said: "We realise that this work can look protracted, but there are several distinct phases to the work.

"Firstly, our crews install the new light column near the existing light and if it’s on a narrow pavement or in a busy area we’ll put a temporary filling at the base to keep the area safe.

"Once installed, Scottish Power can then deploy their teams to disconnect the old street lights and commission the new ones. This can take up to 25 days.

"Only once this has been completed can our crew return to remove the old street lights and lay the final tarmac filling.

"The aim is to get these phases done as smoothly as possible, but sometimes the crews get called to urgent work elsewhere."