Amersham: Whielden Street near hospital left without streetlights

A section of a street leading up to Amersham Hospital from Old Amersham has reportedly been without streetlights since February last year.

Nearly after a year of living in the dark, Whielden Street resident and engineer Alex Hobbs, 49, has had enough.

Mr Hobbs said: “Energy company knows, the council knows, and nothing has happened. It’s pitch black, there’s two bus stops, and it’s opposite the hospital.”

He claimed that Buckinghamshire Council told him only one light was out, but he said the entire section of Whielden Street by the hospital is in total darkness.

The view from Whielden Street towards the underpass and HS2 construction site lights (Image: Alex Hobbs)

Father-of-two Mr Hobbs uses a headtorch whenever he has to walk out on the street.

His teenage daughter is forced to walk in pitch dark as she takes a bus from one of the stops located in the shadow of the A-road underpass.

He explained: “I’ve got a headtorch, but there are people parking and going to the hospital.

“Our daughter uses the torch on her phone, she’s only 18, and it terrifies her to go there.

“There’s undergrowth and trees and shrubs, there could be anyone there and you couldn’t see them at all.

“It makes me feel very concerned about her safety, so much so, that myself or my partner walk to meet her after dark, so we know she'll be safe.”

He was also concerned about tripping over on the uneven pavement, and feels let down by the Council and the energy company UK Power Networks. 

To add insult to injury, the lights of the HS2 Amersham ventilation shaft construction site can be seen on full beam round the clock illuminating the sky at the end of the street, Mr Hobbs said.

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UK Power Networks spokesperson said: "We are sorry to hear the resident’s concerns.

"The council own the streetlights and we supply the power to them. On January 17 2023 the council reported to us that one street light was not working in Whielden Street, and another was faulty.

"We are in the process of arranging for an engineer to visit and investigate the problem. We always try to resolve the problem as quickly as possible once they are reported to us." 

Buckinghamshire Council's Cabinet Member for Transport Steven Broadbent said: 

“We are aware of the ongoing issues in Amersham that have been going on for some time. The problem with the lights has been caused by a failure of the mains electrical supply, which is the responsibility of UKPN. We have made regular representations to them to address this problem, including escalating to help find solutions to this long-term project. We encourage residents to contact UKPN directly while we work on investigating the issue further and thank everyone for their patience.”