The Crescent Road Street Lamp is still on. 10th March 2014

The BBC came to Great Baddow to investigate the mystery of the street lamp that refuses to switch off. Essex County Council implemented a lights out policy last year – all street lamps are switched off between midnight and 5am to save council electricity bills. But one lamp is refusing to play ball.

The BBC spoke with Bert Hunt who alerted them to the mysterious lamp on Crescent Road. It is not just that the lamp refuses to go off at midnight either. It remains on all the time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Bert Hunt has been keeping an eye on the lamp and reported to the BBC: “At midnight all of the other lights suddenly go off – except for this one. It stays on, day and night. We are obviously paying for it through our council taxes and it should be simple enough to turn off.”

Essex County Council are aware of the problem and are still carrying out an investigation to see why this single lamp refuses to switch off.

The lights out policy has had some other positive effects in the village. Star gazers are seeing much clearer skies and many more stars than have been seen in years. There have been no reported incidents either. Many smaller villages remain in the dark all night long too and have done so for years because they have no street lighting.

Bert Hunt and the lamp. Source: BBC News.

Source: The Essex street lamp that has defied the ‘lights off’ plan – BBC News, 6th March 2014.

The stubborn lamp on Crescent Road. Source: BBC