COUNCILLORS have called for a dangerous set of disused streetlights to be removed.

Old streetlight poles across Canvey town centre were cut down to 4ft high columns after structural damage made them unsafe.

The work is believed to have been carried out two years ago, but the stumps still remain.

Councillors believe they post a risk to public safety as pedestrians could easily trip over them.

John Anderson, Canvey Independent Party councillor for the island’s Central ward, said he has been receiving complaints from angry residents for the past five months.

He said: “It still seems to be taking an age to get rid of them.

“The one outside Canvey Town Council, in the High Street, has been bashed in on two occasions, presumably in some sort of road accident.

“I think somebody could quite easily trip on them. Essex County Council has said it’s expensive to remove the lights, and this will only get done when it’sarisk to public safety.Iknow there’s warning tape, but this will fade with weather.

“This surely is a risk, and it needs to be dealt with.”

Ray Howard, deputy highways councillor at County Hall, said UK Power Networks, which owns and maintains electricity cables and lines across the region, is holding up the process.

He added: “It’s just a question of finalising things with UK Power Networks. We were told they would be removed by the first week of November, but nothing can be done until the electricity supply has been cut off.”

The issue of streetlights remains a frustrating subject for Canvey councillors, who last week called for a separate set of disused lights in Furtherwick Road to be removed.

UK Power Networks spokesman said: “We received a request from Essex County Council at the time of the original fault to close off the power supply to ensure that it was safe.

We did this quickly and successfully.

We have not yet received any further requests to reconnect the power supply to this column.”

An Essex Highways spokesman said: “We plan to remove a number of streetlight columns on Canvey, which were made safe by engineers following deterioration, as a matter of priority.”