Clocks blunder leaves shopping centre in darkness

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

A pedestrian shopping centre was left in darkness for weeks after the clocks went back at the end of October.

It’s thought the street lamps weren’t had been left on British Summer Time and as a result weren’t coming on until as late as 10.30pm.

The summer officially came to an end on the last weekend of October when clocks were put back an hour as the country switched from BST to Greenwich Mean Time resulting in lighter mornings and darker evenings from around 4pm.

But chip shop boss Rob Strinati said he’d been left wondering if Fairwater Square in Cwmbran was left behind the times as street lighting in the 1960s built shopping precinct didn’t appear to be in use.

“I really don’t know what time the lighting comes on as we finish work at 8.30pm and it isn’t on then,” said the owner of the Fairwater Fish Bar.

“If it actually is, as I presume, set to the summer lighting it still wouldn’t come until about 9.30pm but with the discrepancy in the hour it most probably doesn’t come on until 10.30pm.”

Reset

Mr Strinati said in previous years when lighting hasn’t been reset with the clocks going back he has contacted Torfaen Borough Council which has usually “quickly” dealt with the issue.

However this year the lightening only appears to have been reset to take account of the nights closing in from November 12, a full 17 days after the end of British Summer Time.

That is despite him having made numerous phone calls, and sent emails to the council’s property managers responsible for the precinct, leaving him in dark both physically and as to when the issue will be fixed before it appeared to be resolved on November 12 after he’d contacted the media.

“I think it’s disgusting no-one has come to get it sorted. It’s a light switch if they tell me where it is I’ll go and do it,” said Mr Strinati who warned the lack of lighting posed a health and safety risk and was off puting for customers.

As well his fish bar there is convivence store, a kebab shop and a chemist among the shops that can open beyond 5pm.

“It is quite intimidating to walk around the corner in the pitch black and you can’t see your hand in front of you.

“The customers we are having have said how dark it is and I’ve asked them to please phone the council and quite a few of them have.

“It is pitch black from around 4.30pm to 5pm and with the leaves underfoot and it being wet it deters anyone from wating to come to the area and is unfair to residents and shopkeepers.”

The 56-year-old, who has been serving chippie teas for 26 years, added: “I’m sure the council would be quick enough to act if we hadn’t paid the rent.”

Council chamber clocks

At Torfaen council’s most recent meeting its presiding member Rose Seabourne, the councillor for the Fairwater ward, noted clocks in the council chamber in Pontypool hadn’t been put back, from BST, and were still an hour ahead.

In July a petition calling for the regeneration of Fairwater Square and for it to receive a share of a 10 year £20m fund, from the UK government, was presented to Torfaen council.

Torfaen Borough Council was contacted for comment about the claim it hadn’t responded to requests to address the lack of lighting.