Hundreds of A127 streetlights not working between Romford and Southend

Essex Highways said it was "aware" of lighting issues on the road

Highways managers have admitted that about a third of streetlights are defective along a major road in Essex.

A total 324 out of 997 of the bulbs on the A127 in the county were defective, according to the Essex Highways website.

Essex Highways said it was "aware" of lighting issues on the road but that it had to "carefully prioritise" its resources.

A spokesman said that about 300 were still not working.

"As in all aspects of highways maintenance, we have had to carefully prioritise our resources to ensure we extract maximum value for the public," they said.

"We are aware of some lighting issues along the A127 and are looking into ways to resolve the situation."

The A127 runs from Romford to Southend

In 2021, Essex Highways, part of the Conservative-controlled Essex County Council, announced a move to make all of the county's 128,000 street lights LED-based by 2024.

Kerry Smith, the leader of Basildon Borough Council's independent group, said action was needed.

"The [installation of LED lights] could have been done 10 years ago," he told BBC Essex.

"It's not complicated, we just needed to get the LEDs installed finally by Essex County Council."

Mr Smith said the lights being out had "become the norm" and said that as a result, it was an issue that "people don't raise" with the council.

The A127 in Essex is about 31 miles long, stretching between junction 29 of the M25 near Upminster, and Southend-on-Sea.