Electricians are working across the county, including Hemel Hempstead and the rest of Dacorum checking every street lighting column that supplies a festive decoration.

They'll be testing 927 columns at 46 different sites in the coming weeks to ensure they have waterproof sockets at the top and a current breaker at the bottom.

"Christmas may seem a long time away, but the summer months make the perfect time to ensure lighting columns that carry festive decorations are safe," said County Councillor Stuart Pile, Executive Member for Highways, Transport and Rural Affairs. "Our team is doing the work now so that by Christmas the street lights will be ready for decorating and we won't be branded Scrooge!"

There are 110,000 street lights across the county and every lamp is inspected annually and changed regularly. The lighting team includes night scouts who drive around the county after dark looking for defective lights and repairing them. Any dangerous faults that are reported are dealt with within two hours, no matter what time of day or night, and any defective lamps are repaired within five days. If you notice a light that isn't working, report it via the county council's website at www.hertsdirect.org/highwayfaults

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