FEARS have been raised for train passengers’ safety after vandals and thieves plunged the area around Basildon Station into darkness.

Lights on a covered walkway between the station and a taxi rank outside Trafford House, in Cherrydown East, have been out since metal thieves stole electrical cables from the derelict office.

Vandals have now smashed lights under the railway bridge over Station Way, meaning the entire area is shrouded in darkness by the time commuters return home.

Gavin Callaghan, Labour councillor for Pitsea North West, said: “It’s a terrible first impression of Basildon.

“People get off the train, go to get in a cab or walk to the car park and they have to walk through a pitch black walkway, with no idea what is around the corner, or who is loitering around Trafford House.

“I had friends visit Basildon for the first time this weekend who told me they felt ‘instantly uneasy’.

“It's only a matter of time before there is an attack there.”

The county council is waiting for cables to fix the lights, meaning the busy path is likely to be unlit for more than a week.

The authority, which has already angered residents by switching street lights off after midnight, says Trafford House’s owner, Criterion Capital, is responsible for lighting the walkway.

Basildon Council has urged the county council to work with Criterion to get the lights back on.

A spokesman for Basildon Council, said: “The council would like the matter resolved and hopes a solution is found as quickly as possible, but neither the building nor the footpath are Basildon Council’s responsibility and we would urge Essex County Council to agree a way forward with the building’s owner.”

An Essex Highways spokesman said: “The lights have been prioritised for repair by our out-of-hours crew as soon as we receive the specific cables needed.

“The work has to be carried out at night because the proximity of the railway bridge means part of the road needs to be closed and we want to avoid traffic congestion during the busier daytime.

“It’s hoped the streetlight repairs will be completed before Christmas, but we are relying on the delivery of the cables.”