Roger and Janet Dowling, who have lived on Mallorie Park Drive since 1992, say the £593 lamppost installed by Harrogate Borough Council this month provides inadequate lighting because of its location on their back lane and is unnecessary because a working, well-positioned lamp is already in place.

The lane is L-shaped and Mrs Dowling, 75, says light from the new lamp cannot reach around the corner and so the initial stretch of lane from the main road is left in darkness at night-time, leaving the couple to negotiate their way around potholes, puddles and dog excrement in the dark.

She said: "The position of the new street light is no good. It's under a tree and it is too far along the lane to illuminate one section of the road."

The original lamp is ideally placed on the corner but its light is obscured by overgrown tree branches from a private property and the council intends to remove the lamp because it is over 25 years old and shows signs of corrosion.

Concerned about the overgrown trees blocking the original lamp, Mrs Dowling wrote to the council about the problem in spring this year and received a reply to say the owner of the trees had been contacted and had agreed to tend to the excess branches.

Obscured

The council says the branches were cut back but they still currently obscure the original street light.

Mrs Dowling said: "I would like them to come and deal with the bushes and I'd prefer them to leave the old lamp post and take away the ugly new one."

Retired teacher Mr Dowling, 77, added: "It's frustrating that instead of carrying out such a simple task as cutting off branches which should have taken half-a-day, instead we have a 'solution' that is no solution and it's an expensive 'solution'."

Worries

Neighbour John Parker, a retired power station engineer, shared the Dowlings' worries.

He said: "My major concern is that it escalated from such an easily rectifiable thing to a complete waste of money and, after all, I assume we are paying for it as council tax payers."

A council spokesman said: "The old column/ lantern was completely covered by tree canopy. The light could no longer distinguish that it was daylight and was on 24 hours a day.

"As the column was to be replaced it was felt the best course was to re-position it as there would be an ongoing maintenance problem of continuous pruning of the tree.

Funding

"To put the light back in the original position would be wasted budget funds as we would be back to square one. We will request service drawings for the area to determine if any further improvements can be made subject to agreement by all residents."

With regard to the overgrown branches obscuring the original street light, the spokesman added: "We can only suggest if there is still a problem with that section of hedge, they (the Dowlings) report it to North Yorkshire County Council as the highway is their responsibility."