COUNTY Hall has been accused of wasting money for leaving streetlights on during the day.

Residents claim a light in Bellfield, Rydene, has been permanently left on for the last 12 years – despite Essex County Council plunging streets into darkness overnight in a bid to save cash.

Bill Vernon, who is in his seventies, has complained to the authority numerous times since buying his house in Bellfield in 2003, but the streetlight has remained on.

He said: “I have carried out some costings and based on a 180 Watt bulb,which is the likely type in the lamp outside my house, the cost of having that light on is £179.50 for a year based on the lowest electricity tariff available.

“Therefore in the 12 years I have lived here £2,154 of council taxpayers’ money has been wasted on just one street light This adds insult to injury now the council have turned the lights out to save money.”

Mr Vernon is calling on County Hall to ensure all streetlights go out during the day, so the cash can be ploughed back into keeping them on at night.

David Burton-Sampson, Labour’s candidate for Pitsea South East ward in the May local elections, is backing his campaign.

The row over part-night lighting rumbles on after Essex County Council agreed to keep the lights on until 1am six days a week.

The authority first introduced the overnight switch off during 2013, in a bid to save £1million in electricity bills a year.

Mr Burton-Sampson said: “On a small section of an estate in Pitsea South East I counted four street lights switched on in three roads at 11am. I then observed multiple lights switched on while travelling through other parts of the town.

“On Southernhay, in the town centre, there were no less than 12 streetlights turned on at 1pm.

It was not just the streetlights that were unnecessarily illuminated, numerous road signs had their lights on too.”

He urged residents to monitor streetlights and road signs in their area, and report any problems immediately. Mr Burton- Sampson added: “There are other ways to make savings such as installing LED technology or having every other streetlight turned on during 12am and 5am.”

The county council has denied having a major problem with streetlights being left on during the day in Basildon.

County Hall responded after claims several lights being being left on by day, costing money that could be used to turn them on at night.

Bill Vernon, 70, from Cotelands, Vange, claimed one light has been on constantly since he moved in in 2003 and the county council has not turned it off despite a number of requests.

Basildon Labour group claimed a number of lights were left on at the Rydene estate in Vange, and other parts of the borough.

But a county council spokesman said: “We currently have no reported faults with any of the county council-owned and maintained streetlights in Cotelands, Basildon.

“A day burning fault with a streetlight in Bellfield was reported on March 28 and will be inspected and repaired in due course.

“We are responsible about 127,000 streetlights across the county and have a comprehensive repair programme in place.

“Residents can help our engineers schedule and prioritise works by reporting any faults via our new online reporting tool, which pinpoints the exact location of streetlights and allows residents to track any reports made.

“The new tool can be found at http://www.essexhighways.org/tell-us-street-lighting.aspx.”