ORNATE seafront lampposts have been pulled down to preventing them crashing to the floor and injuring pedestrians.

The lamps line Clacton’s West Greensward by the seafront and feature elaborate ironwork patterns to brighten the skyline.

But over the past week workers have used cherry pickers and angle grinders to pull down the creative flourishes on the lamps.

The lights have not worked for at least the past 15 years.

Tendring Council, which is responsible for the lamps, said action had had to be taken as a safety precaution.

Cabinet spokesman Nick Turner said: “The columns have been surveyed and there is an issue with corrosion, and the possibility that parts could fall from a considerable height.

“Therefore, we have dismantled these listed structures and will be storing everything carefully until we can decide the best way forward to repair and restore them.

“We are currently looking at a number of options.”

But the authority warned restoration would be expensive. Council officers are looking into possible grants and cashpots that could help cover the cost of restoration work.