THE £6.9m scheme replacing all of Swindon’s streetlights with LED versions has come under fire again.

But this time not because they’re too bright, but because one has gone out already.

Helen Tomlin lives with her husband Dennis in Kingsdown Road just a few yards from the Kingsdown Inn.

The streetlamps were replaced earlier this summer by workers from Swindon Borough Council as part of the 18-month project to install the LED lights, which save money and energy.

But the one outside Mrs Tomlin’s house went out two weeks ago – and she has had no joy getting it fixed.

She said: “The lights were put in weeks ago and they are really bright. We don’t need to have our lights on in the front room any more.

“But two weeks ago the one in front of our house went out.

"It’s not working – and that part of the street is very dark now.

“I have rung the council to try and report it and to get someone to come and fix it but I’ve got nowhere.

"Nobody has got back to me, and nobody has come out to do anything about it.

“It seems such a shame if they’re spending so much money on replacing them that nothing happens for so long if they don’t work.”

The 76-year-old added: “With the old ones, if there was a problem, I would just ring up and they’d come out quickly and fix them, but we’ve had no information at all about the new lights.”

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “This is a massive scheme which will bring so many benefits from a reduction in light pollution and energy consumption through to the hundreds of thousands of pounds it will save taxpayers each year.

“Of course when you replace 28,000 streetlights there is a risk that the odd lamp will not work as it should. Our contractors are working flat out on the borough-wide upgrade and will return to fix any issues, at their own cost, as quickly as they can.”

The council has already come under fire from residents over the way the replacement of lights has been managed. People in areas where LED lamps have been installed are saying they are far too bright.

The council has acknowledged this but says the lamps can only be dimmed using special software and it is working with its contractors to do this.