YOUNG lives are being put at risk by Earby's outdated and unreliable street lighting, according to a worried parent.

Ian Tavendale, of High Bank Farm, Earby, told Pendle Council's West Craven Committee that he dare not let his daughter walk to school along the narrow Stoneybank Road, because streetlights were not working.

He said the road was narrow, with no footpath in places, and because it was a downhill approach to Earby, drivers tended to break the 30mph limit.

Having streetlights fail was the final straw, making it too dangerous for his daughter to walk to Springfield Primary School, and instead he was having to drive her there to ensure her safety.

And it wasn't just bulbs or wires failing in the outdated streetlights. One had actually rusted away and snapped off.

Over Christmas, the top half of the light had been dangling by the wires that ran up the centre of the column.

Mr Tavendale said he had rung the council's emergency "highways hotline" on several occasions, but nothing had been done.

He had since been told by a council officer that at least two of the lights would need full replacement, and that could take several weeks.

"I consider the delay places my daughter in an unacceptable situation," he said. "My child's safety is paramount in all this. Young people should be encouraged to use their feet, including walking to school, but the infrastructure must support this."

Coun Margaret Bell, chairman of the West Craven Committee, said members were already waiting for a report on the state of streetlighting in their area.

A previous report had shown Earby had particular problems, with many of its columns dating back to the Second World War and some even before that.

The town also had a peculiar electrical supply system to its lamps, which meant when there was a fault they tended to fail in clusters, rather than single lamps.

Coun bell said she wanted a report to the committee's next meeting about the lights on Stoneybank Road and, in the meantime, she would impress on officers the importance of repairing them as soon as possible.