NEW lights in the main Machynlleth car park have finally been switched on after a fault left parents with “a dark and dangerous job” collecting children from the nearby nursery for over three months.

Only two of the central streetlights at the car park on Maengwyn Street have been working since late October, even though the fault was logged by anxious residents.

Resident David Evans said he called the council’s fault line and reported the issue, including the lamp numbers, “without success”.

After not receiving a reply, Mr Evans said that he feared cost cutting was involved, and that “again the residents of Machynlleth get the burden”.

Powys County Council told the Cambrian News this week that the issue has now been fixed and that workmen will “monitor” the lights.

The delay in finding the fault was due to the belief the problem had been fixed by a change to LED lanterns.

Mr Evans said that, after the council replaced streetlights “only the central two were switched on”.

“This made collecting children from the nursery a dark and dangerous job, as the current lighting was totally inadequate,” he said. “A number of parents were concerned for children’s safety and the lights needed to go back on.”

After questions to the council from the Cambrian News, the lights are now working again.

See this week’s Machynlleth & Llanidloes paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now