RESIDENTS in a north Suffolk town have been left baffled by street lights left on 24 hours a day.Adannah Hogburn and her neighbours Bill and Dorothy Churchyard, of Central Road, Leiston, say they cannot understand why four street lamps on their road are on permanently.

RESIDENTS in a north Suffolk town have been left baffled by street lights left on 24 hours a day.

Adannah Hogburn and her neighbours Bill and Dorothy Churchyard, of Central Road, Leiston, say they cannot understand why four street lamps on their road are on permanently.

They branded it a waste of money - especially at a time when Suffolk Coastal District Councils is considering turning lights off after midnight as a cost-saving measure.

Mrs Hogburn said: “They're on all the time, all day and all night, and I'm getting annoyed now because it's my council tax.

“When you hear about councils turning lights off in potentially dangerous places, you think 'how dare they be so hypocritical?'.”

Her neighbours, Mr and Mrs Churchyard, said they were also fed up with the lights.

Mrs Churchyard said: “We don't mind them at night, and think they should be on then, but there's no need to waste money and have them on all day.”

John Rayner, town clerk for Leiston Town Council, said for a couple of months lights on that road did not come on at all and since they were fixed, the lights are on all the time.

He said: “Lights at Kings Road and Central Road were out for about two months and we reported them week in and week out.

“Eventually they came and dug the road up and fixed them and came on but now these lights are on permanently but if they are on, it's much better than them being off.”

It is Suffolk Coastal District Council that has proposed to turn off some lights throughout the district to save money and for environmental purposes.

But Mr Rayner said the lights in Central Road were owned by Suffolk County Council.

A county council spokesperson said: “We will look into the problem and see what the situation is and rectify it as soon as possible.

“If anyone does see a problem with lighting, then they should report it to our customer helpline Customer Service Direct on 0845 606 6067.”