Townsfolk have complained of mounting safety fears over what they say are darker streets, with additional concerns that some streets have been left without working street lights for more than a year.

However, the local authority claims 98 per cent of reported faults are repaired within five days, and the new LED lamps – which were first install last year at an initial cost £675,000 – are designed to concentrate light on the road and footpaths.

Tricia Imrie, who lives in Miller Street, told the Reporter: “To be honest I didn’t even realise we were getting new street lights until the other night I was coming home late from work and I thought the street looked really dark. When I spoke to my neighbours, we were all quite worried about it.

“We’re all for saving the planet and its commendable, but from a public safety perspective, it’s not worked out. This is a family estate, it’s only been built in 2002. I have a nine year-old and in the summer nights I wouldn’t want her walking home now which is a shame.

“It has an impact on quality of life, there are elderly and vulnerable people staying around here and I’m afraid they wouldn’t want to go out alone now. At night time – it’s almost pitch black.” Brian Hatfield, from Community Projects West Dunbartonshire – which has been responsible for a successful campaign to Cordale Housing Association regarding street lighting near the Main Street flats – said residents turn to them when they hear very little back from the council.

Mr Hatfield said: “We’ve been dealing with this for a year, we phone the council office that deals with roads and lighting and normally they say: ‘we’ll add this to the list’ and we never hear from them again.

“The problem is the lighting on the main roads the lamps are checked regularly – in the estates they’re not. We have reported this for a year, some lamps that were reported a year ago still haven’t been repaired.” He said one issue is the council require a lamppost number, however they often haven’t been marked - and if the numbers are missing the contractor who does the repairs often can’t carry out the work.

Mr Hatfield added there is a safety issue in winter. He said: “We’ve reported this since February and March last year and all through winter these lights have been out, in the light evenings now we’re concerned we may have to wait another year.

“I live in New Bonhill and we have a lot of elderly, disabled people, and kids out playing in the area. This needs to be addressed and sorted before there is an accident.” Independent councillor George Black said the council used reserves to roll-out the scheme. He added: “This is yet another example of decisions being talked by the Labour group behind closed doors and implemented by officers. I have on several occasions stated publicly that the capital strategy should be consulted on by the administration. The led lighting project is just another example of no involvement by elected members, outwith this labour group.” A council spokeswoman urged residents to contact them directly if they have an issue.

She added: “We follow-up all reports of defective lighting and repair 98 per cent of reported faults within five days. Reports can be made by phone or quickly via an online form on our website.

“We are replacing 17,000 high-wattage amber street lights with energy efficient LED lanterns as part of a project which will save £450,000 a year. The new lamps are designed to concentrate light on the road and footpaths, and while we appreciate this does represent a change for residents, the feedback has typically been positive. The new lighting meets national standards.” In November 2014 the council installed the new energy efficient LED lamps in Balloch, Dumbarton, and Old Kilpatrick on a trial basis, and is now set to invest in a further 1,800 lights in streets across the area over the next year. The total project is set to cost the council £6.5m.