Redcar Council's £62,000 bill after complex's lights fail

The affected lights outside the civic centre in Redcar

A council is facing a £62,000 bill after dozens of lights at its multimillion-pound complex failed.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has set aside the funds to replace 83 'up' lights outside the civic centre.

The lights were installed in 2014 when the £31m complex was opened, but now need to be replaced.

The council suggested it will look into recovering some of the cost from the contractor which fitted the lights.

It said discussions on a potential "latent defect claim", which could cover a potential defect in design or materials, are ongoing.

The replacement of the lights will involve excavating the landscape and footpaths around the centre to replace wiring and fittings.

Some of the work, which is being completed in sections, has already taken place, according to the council.

A document, which has signed off £62,510 of funding, said the new lights will keep the existing design but will be more efficient, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

While work is under way, public access and fire escape routes will remain in place.

"Discussions on whether the broken lights are part of a latent defect claim are still ongoing with the original contractor of the building," a council spokesperson said.

They added: "It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage".