A councillor says it is “unacceptable” that children have been playing in the dark at a council sports facility thanks to regular blackouts.
At the recent full meeting of Ards and North Down Council, DUP Ards Peninsula Councillor Robert Adair criticised faulty lighting at a training facility for children beside the Portavogie MUGA at Harbour Road.
Last year Portavogie Football Club made an arrangement with the council to provide lights for a football training area beside the main MUGA for children to use Monday to Thursday, 5pm to 9pm. However, the system has been plagued with breakdowns since it was installed last year, not only leaving children playing in the dark. Repair attempts have also been knocking off surrounding lights in the village, the meeting was told.
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Councillor Adair said it was “unacceptable” that children were playing on the training pitch to car headlights. He told the chamber: “There is an issue in relation to the Portavogie MUGA. Portavogie Football Club has provided lights for the council in that area and in return the council promised to have the training area lit. That was over a year ago now, and every week since there are issues with those lights breaking down.
“I have contacted the council to get them fixed, but to no avail. Every time the council comes out to fix them they either knock the lights off at the skatepark, they knock the street lights off, or they knock some other lights out and we are back to square one.
“They are meant to be lit Monday to Thursday, and for three weeks now the lights have not been lit. I have sent an email to the council to ask about tomorrow night, as Thursday is training night: will those children have to train in the dark again?
“It is totally unacceptable in this day and age, it is going back to the dark ages. I have had no response, and that is totally unacceptable. The football club provided these lights and the council promised they would have the area lit so the children can train safely.
“I am disappointed I have waited for almost a week in response to my email. This is a very serious issue for my constituents. Will this area be lit tomorrow and will there be something done to address this long standing issue?” He asked the council to treat it as “a matter of urgency.”
A council officer replied: “The Director of Environments has confirmed the request has been responded to on a number of occasions, and it hasn’t been sustained, but he will chase it with Assets and Property again.”
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