RESIDENTS have been left in the dark on Picket Twenty after delays to street lighting.

Over the past seven years people living on the development have experienced either no lampposts or columns without wiring. And now one resident is calling for action to be taken ‘before it is too late’.

Adam Buckenham, former deputy chair of Picket Twenty Forum, has been searching for answers from developers Persimmon and Hampshire County Council over the lack of lights.

“On Picket Twenty Way there are sections where there are no lampposts and there are sections were there are lampposts with no wiring in,” he said.

“A worrying example for me is round by the new play park and just down the road at Egg Nursery there is zero working street lighting on the main road. It is alright this time of year but what about in the winter?

“There is nothing worse than going down a dark road. It is frightening. The last thing we want is for a child to be knocked over.”

Mr Buckenham is calling for the county council to weigh in on the matter and force Persimmon to carry out the work.

“Because the roads haven’t been handed over they [Persimmon] can do what they like, when they like, but clearly if the council are moving people here then this needs to be sorted.”

Persimmon has said that it is continuing to work on the issue and progress has been made, with final connections expected to begin next month.

A spokesperson for Persimmon Homes South Coast said: “We have been working to rectify the street lighting issue for some time but have been reliant on third parties in relation to the supply of the columns and lanterns required to meet Hampshire Highways specification. We are also reliant on SSE in relation to the power connections.

“However, significant progress has been made with all street light columns now in place, most of which are illuminated. There are some without power and we are beholden to SSE to complete the mains connections. However, we have now had confirmation that the final connection works are scheduled to start in July. We have asked that the columns adjacent to the play area on Picket Twenty Way be prioritised.”

The county council’s executive member for environment and transport, Councillor Rob Humby, said: “Our teams continue to work closely with Persimmon to resolve various issues which will bring the roads on the estate up to the standard required by the County Council for adoption and take on responsibility for maintenance. The county council will not adopt substandard or unfinished roads, which would include street lighting where appropriate, because of the impact this would have on council tax payers across the county.”