Festive street lights posed ‘electric shock risk'

The parish council disputes claims several street lamps were damaged after last year's festive lights were fitted

Christmas lights will not be switched on in a seaside village in a row over damage caused to street lamps last year.

Caister-on-Sea Parish Council had previously been allowed to use a qualified electrical contractor - who gave his time for free - and volunteers to install festive lights to 14 street lamps in the high street.

Norfolk County Council said it found several lamps in the village damaged after the festive lights were fitted last year. It claimed the wiring did not meet safety regulations and posed a risk of electric shock.

Batchelor Electrical Services said the low-voltage weatherproof lights it installed posed no danger to the public and had been tested to current regulations.

The parish council also disputes the county council's claims and said it would not pay the "excessive" £10,000 cost for contractors to install safety sockets for the lights.

Kevin Wood, chairman of Caister Parish Council, said he was furious the council was not allowed to use volunteers and a local electrician

Parish council chairman Kevin Wood posted on Facebook: "Sadly this year there will be no Christmas lights on the lamp posts along the High Street.

"We have organised this for many years. In the past, teams of volunteers under the guidance of Batchelors Electrical service (sic) have carried out this work for free with permission from Norfolk County Council (NCC).

"Now NCC will only allow the work to be done by their contractors, and the cost of this is just under £10,000 to put lights on 14 lamp posts.

"We are disappointed by the excessive cost required for a task that we have achieved in one or two evenings, and that cost cannot be justified."

The council said it would work to light up the council hall, which it owns, and put an illuminated star on Holy Trinity Church, as well as encourage local businesses to decorate for Christmas.

Local businesses are being encouraged to put up Christmas decorations in Caister

Norfolk County Council said in a statement about last year's Christmas lights: "The issue was caused by connections made to the isolators within the street lights, with cables not adequately protected and the column doors being left partially open.

"It was found that the installation of the Christmas decorations did not meet electrical safety regulations, posing a risk of electric shock."

It added: "On 8 December, 2023, electricians fixed the issues with the streetlights, which was when staff at Caister Parish Council were advised that a safer method for connecting Christmas lights involves installing a high-level electrical socket.

"The parish council staff were also made aware that this work must be carried out by personnel who are registered and qualified to the Highways Electrical Registration Scheme.

"The [£10,000] quote provided is to ensure a safe method of connecting additional electrical items to streetlights, which involves having a high-level 240V commando socket installed and would allow the Christmas lights to be simply plugged in, out of reach of the general public."

The parish council declined to comment further but told the BBC it disputed the claims of damage and risks to the public.

In a statement, Batchelor Electrical Services said it had tried to bring "festive cheer" but had found itself "caught in the crossfire".

It said it had endeavoured to follow county council guidance given to the parish council and always worked to current regulations.

Last December, it said, the company had carried out additional safety work when requested and was happy to install high-level sockets if requested by the parish council.

"Having provided our services to the parish council for the past six years for our village, it would be great if [Norfolk County Council] and the parish council were able to come to a mutual agreement for the additional works so that we can continue with this village tradition," he added.