A row over streetlight faults caused by the clocks going forward has broken out between Lib Dems and a senior Tory at County Hall.
Lib Dems said they were left “stunned” that for the third year-running streetlights have been “thrown into chaos”.
Lib Dem councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst said: “After almost three years of switching the lights off at midnight we still cannot get an assurance that the regular problem we have had every time the clocks change will not occur.”
Terry Douris, executive member for highways and waste management at Hertfordshire County Council (HCC), admitted the problem led to “lights going on and going off at unusual times”.
He said the problem was “a curiosity” with the computer chips, which control the timings of the lamps, which only occurred around the spring equinox.
He told the Welwyn Hatfield Times: “We are aware of it and we are working with the suppliers to correct it.
“I would absolutely reject that we knowingly bought faulty equipment.”
He added: “There is an oddity for about two days and it settles down and goes back to normal.”
He conceded the council “regretted” the problem and was due to have replacements installed for free.
Remember to put your clocks forward an hour on Sunday.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here