FIFE COUNCIL "obviously have money to burn" after leaving street lights on in Pitcorthie for 24 hours a day for five weeks.

And the local authority have said they daren't switch them off for fear of leaving the Dunfermline estate in the dark – as "there is a risk they won't come back on again".

An irate Pitcorthie resident, who asked not to be named, told the Press: "Half of the street lights in Pitcorthie, from Walnut Grove all the way up and including the side streets, have been on constantly for the last five weeks.

"I've phoned them twice and they told me they can't switch them off as they wouldn't be able to turn them on again!

"They obviously have money to burn. It's just so irritating to see them on all the time."

She continued: "The first time I rang, they said they would sort it within five days.

"A week later, they were still on, so I rang them again and they said they couldn't find the fault and couldn't turn the lights off either.

"All that money wasted. It beggars belief."

Ironically, one of the recent budget proposals put forward by council officers, and backed by opposition parties, was to switch street lights off when it's dark to save money.

They needed to find savings and cuts to plug a £15.5 million hole in their finances but it was one of the ideas that was rejected.

Kane Smith, lead consultant in roads maintenance for the council, admitted: "There is an ongoing problem with the Scottish Power supply to street lights in Pitcorthie which has resulted in the lights being left on for 24 hours.

"If we switch these lights off during the day, there is a risk they won't come back on again at night.

"Although this is not ideal, it is a temporary measure to prevent the area being in darkness."

A spokesperson for Scottish Power said: "We are aware of the situation and apologise to local residents.

"We are working with Fife Council to resolve it as quickly as possible and we'll be looking to fix the problem in the next couple of weeks."