A homeowner who lives near to where a 17-year-old girl was stabbed has spoken out about poor street lighting in the area.

Local resident Lee says he and other Fulwood residents reported a broken lamppost and electrical faults in mid-February.

The 48-year-old said the path between Levensgarth Avenue and Southey Close had been left ‘pitch black’.

Lee, who lives in a nearby road, said he reported the issue on Valentine’s Day at 9.21am.

He said: “There had been a crash and the lamppost was damaged. It stayed that way for a few weeks.

“The lamppost was replaced and the county council also replaced the streetlights with LED lights.

“They (the county council) recently put in low wattage LED lighting and it used to be that the Sodium lamps were bright enough to light up the road and backlight the path where as now you would not see someone stood 10 feet from you.

“There was then an electrical fault which meant about three or four of the lamps were not working – leaving that whole area by the park in darkness.

“It’s right by the primary school as well and a well-used cut-through by those who live round here.”

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Lee says he was told by the county council due to budget cuts there was no funding to be able to improve street lighting in the area.

A spokeswoman for Lancashire County Council said: “The street light was reported as damaged to us on January 30 following an accident.

“A replacement column has been erected, but as the cables were damaged it requires extra work by our contractors to connect with the electricity system.

“Unfortunately a number of other street lights on Levensgarth Avenue have also been affected by the problem with the cables.

“We strive to replace damaged lampposts as quickly as possible, and we are working with our contractors to ensure this particular street light, and the others on the road, will be lit again shortly.”

Blog Preston contacted Electricity North West for comment, but they advised at this stage they had not been asked to look at the issue by the county council.

Preston Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses after the stabbing at 7.30pm on Friday 1 March.

A 17-year-old girl received multiple stab wounds to the back and two 16-year-olds, one boy and one girl, have been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of wounding.

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Lee said: “Would the street lights have stopped the stabbing? No, probably not but it would make everyone in the area feel safer and be able to see people coming down those paths.”