'Flying saucer' street lamps spark protest

2 days ago

Jake ZuckermanBBC East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

News image — Residents say the new lamps are ugly and out of keeping with the area

BBC News A close-up picture of one of the new street lights. The lamp is round and flat like a flying saucer. It is attached to a black post against a grey sky — Residents say the new lamps are ugly and out of keeping with the area

Work has been paused on new street lamps after residents compared them to "flying saucers".

Lincolnshire County Council began installing new lights in Lumley Road, Skegness, because the old ones were about 25 years old and in a poor state of repair.

But opponents called the replacements ugly and out of keeping with the area.

Now, after complaints and a peaceful protest in which a man obstructed workers, councillors have agreed to allow residents to choose a design from a number of options.

BBC News A picture of Michael Moody, a middle-aged man with brown hair and moustache. He is wearing a multi-coloured scarf and a red, white and blue jacket. In the background is a busy road, with a row of street lamps, which look elegant with slim posts and round lamps. — Michael Moody, 47, standing in front of the "beautiful" old lights

Michael Moody, 47, set up a picnic table beneath a lamp post on Thursday to prevent workers from changing the light.

"The ones that are up there currently are beautiful," he said. "They have a nice dome shape and they're attractive to look at.

"The new ones are just like a spaceship stuck on top of a pole.

"When something that looks nice is taken apart and replaced with something that looks dreadful, it seems like a step backwards."

After posting a video of his protest on social media, Mr Moody said he received hundreds of messages of support.

The council said the decision to replace the lights with the new design was taken by the previous administration.

It will now consult residents over alternative designs.

Councillor Jimmy Brookes, who represents Skegness South, said: "We're looking at different options that will look similar to the existing street lamps, but it depends what people choose."

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch thelatest episode of Look Northor tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices