A FORMER councillor who was in the public gallery at a highly charged council meeting where streetlights were discussed said he was angry Conservatives had accused lights campaigners of “scaremongering”.

Dave Bolton said: “I was burgled at night last August and my car was stolen.

“I am worried about family and friends who are on late shifts travelling to and from work in the dark.

“As a councillor, I was told I was a district councillor, not just the representative of my own ward alone. How come, therefore, members from leafy rural areas display blatant, selfish localism?

“We must be satisfied, for now, with the compromise, but purse-holders of our hard-earned council tax money should remember who pays for their expenses.”

Clacton MP Douglas Carswell hit out at highways boss Rodney Bass for dismissing Harlow’s proposal to pay to have streetlights put back on.

He said: “The streetlights fiasco is caused by the fact that both the district and county councils are run as a cosy club.

“Essex County Council high-handedly dismissed Harlow’s request.

“It makes me concerned about what they will do if Tendring makes a similar request.

“The tragedy in all of this is that with a little more common sense, they could have switched back on the lights that really needed to be switched back on months ago.

“That would have kept everyone happy.”