A MARCH street has been left with no street lighting for more than FOUR months, leaving businesses an easy target for opportunist thieves. The stretch of Longhill Road, from the Braza football ground to the FenBet premises, has been blackened out since a

A MARCH street has been left with no street lighting for more than FOUR months, leaving businesses an easy target for opportunist thieves.

The stretch of Longhill Road, from the Braza football ground to the FenBet premises, has been blackened out since a courier van accidentally knocked over a street lamp, which has stopped the other 10 lights along the stretch from working.

It has seen almost every business targeted on the small industrial estate behind the Braza football and rugby ground, the latest incident seeing scrap metal and an anvil taken from a workshop on Sunday night.

Kenny Rayment, who runs a transportation business on the estate, said: "Lighting workers came out, after lots of complaints, and took the post away before Christmas. We have not heard anything since.

"We are all paying company rates for these lights, and have called time and time again. However, we just cannot get through to the lighting people - every time you call you are greeted by an answerphone.

"We thought they would have been out to get the problem sorted, especially with the close proximity of Whitemoor Prison, but they do not seem bothered."

The lights are owned by Fenland District Council, who pay Cambridgeshire County Council to service them.

But a county council spokesman said: "We were told not to carry out work on the lights because there is no money to fund the work."

A spokesman for Fenland District Council said: "Regrettably, the significance of this particular knockdown was not fully appreciated when the report was processed.

"An order has now been placed for the column to be replaced and the other lights brought back into operation.

"We apologise that the full impact of losing this light was not noted sooner and have been in contact with the county council to rectify the situation.

"We have been advised that the new street light should be erected within four to six weeks, which will also restore the power to the rest of the lights.