A WOMAN claims people's safety is being put at risk by broken street lights which have been out for the last six weeks - and may not work for another two months.

Sheila Dickenson, of Horsforth, claims about a dozen street lights in the Woodside roundabout area on the border of Horsforth and West Park are

currently out - and fears that crime will thrive in the darkness.

Only last week, the Wharfedale Observer reported a woman who had her handbag snatched by a

passing car when she walked along the dimly lit Back Lane in Horsforth, sparking police warnings to women about walking alone on poorly lit streets.

Mrs Dickenson said: "I walk my dog at 7.40am every morning and it is absolutely black, you can't see a thing, which is not very nice at all. My

family has to take the dog out on an evening for

me.

"When I contacted Leeds City Council I felt as if I had been fobbed off and that they weren't

interested. They just told me that there were

problems with the main cable and that it could take months to fix.

"I have phoned them three times in the last six weeks and they have told me that it could be months before they are fixed, which isn't good enough.

"It was particularly bad over Christmas. There are always a lot of burglaries at this time of year, and the lights being out don't help."

Mrs Dickenson said that there were about four lights out at the Horsforth side of the railway bridge, and about nine at the other side heading up towards West Park.

"It must be awful for drivers," she added. "There has already been a small crash in the area, and although I'm not sure if that is because of the lack of lights, it won't have helped matters."

Town councillor Alastair Cook, who chairs the traffic and highways committee on Horsforth Town Council said he would investigate the claims.

"I wasn't aware of this myself, but if it is right then Leeds City Council should come out and fix the lights as soon as possible, it's as simple as that."

A spokesman for Leeds City Council said: "This problem was first reported to us on December 29 last year and our investigations showed that there was a problem with the power supply to the lights.

"In normal circumstances, a great deal of work, involving nearby pavements being dug up, would be required to isolate the problem.

"However, we have contacted Yorkshire Electricity to help us. They have access to specialist equipment which may help us to identify and fix the fault far more quickly."