By the 3rd we had been without light for ten nights and living so rural it was pitch black outside, even torches didn't help.
On the 3rd I called the county council in Norwich who informed me it was my housing association who were responsible. Just hearing that filled me with absolute dread, knowing it would be an uphill struggle to get something done. If it wasn't for the fact that I can't be out after 5:00pm because it is pitch black outside I would have let my neighbours deal with it. So I plucked up courage and called explaining that all out close lights were out and had been since Christmas eve. the advisor had little sympathy and said she would log it. I said I felt in was a health and safety issue because no one can see where they were going and it was dangerous for the elderly and disabled who live here.
Stupid me, I thought it would be dealt with that day. By 3:45pm I could see that no they had not been fixed and that meant another night of darkness. I called just after 4:00pm and at first the advisor said no one else had called except me. I suddenly heard another voice in the background saying that another five people had called, that's six out of ten properties. Like always I was fobbed off by them saying it was on the list with their contractor TT Jones.
Go forward another twenty-four hours and guess what, still not fixed! So I'm back on the phone to my housing association again who tell me that residents have said it's only three lampposts! By this time I'm banging my head on my bedroom wall trying to explain we only have three lampposts and if they wanted to listen to my call the previous day they would hear that I did say all our lampposts. Then the icing on the cake was when she smugly informed me it had be logged as a normal callout and could take 28 days to be fixed. As you can imagine I blew a gasket and explained that being disabled I was now housebound between 5:00pm - 8:00am because my carer can't see to get my walker in and out of my car and it must be difficult for young mum's with babies as well. Eventually my nagging got the advisor to escalate it to an emergency and should be done with 48hours.
Another twenty-four hours and I now looking outside my window complete darkness. For stargazers it must be wonderful with no light pollution, but for me it's another night stuck indoors.
