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Published:
February 14, 2008
Burnham-On-Sea
groups face high costs of testing street light columns
 Several
groups in Burnham-On-Sea face bills for thousands of pounds due
to tough new regulations on the testing of street lighting columns.
Tighter
health and safety regulations have recently come into force that
require lighting columns to be tested for their structural integrity
every few years.
Burnham
and Highbridge Town Council admitted this week it is bracing itself
for a big bill.
Town
Clerk Eileen Shaw told councillors at a meeting on Tuesday (February
12th): "We could face a bill of more than £2,000 for
testing the 46 lights along The Esplanade."
 Several
other groups in Burnham which use lighting columns also face being
charged for the testing work.
Burnham
In Bloom, which hangs flower baskets from columns in the High
Street, and the Chamber of Trade, which hangs Christmas lights
on the columns, met the County Council earlier this week to discuss
how to split up a further £1,000 bill for testing 19 lighting
columns in the town centre.
Burnham-On-Sea.com
understands that several lighting columns in Highbridge may have
to be removed altogether as they are built on weak ground and
no longer meet the tough new policies.
The
rules are causing frustration among some local people, with Cllr
Eric Gill telling Tuesday's council meeting: "It's another
example of health and safety regulations being inflicted on us.
It's an unnecessarly complicated and expensive situation."
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