THOUSANDS of pounds are being spent replacing streetlights in Poole which were badly damaged when a scrapyard blaze sparked a massive power cut last month.

There are more than 650 streetlights in Poole dating back to the mid-1960s, mostly concentrated in Parkstone, which operate on solar dial time switches.

After the fire at the Nelson Stanley scrapyard at Alder Hills, which cut power to thousands of homes across the conurbation, the switches on the streetlights were reset, but because of their age many of them struggled to restart.

Borough of Poole revealed it is replacing the ailing streetlights as defects are reported, and has now spent more than £7,500 fitting 30 of the old lamps with new light-sensitive technology.

Borough of Poole's transportation services principal engineer John Sayers said: "It is uneconomic to replace just the obsolete time switch as there are more modern energy-efficient lanterns available at a small additional cost.

"There is an existing rolling programme to replace these lanterns. The power cut has just changed the priority for the defective units."

A spokesman from the council explained that Poole's streetlights are checked every fortnight, but following the glut of defects in Parkstone, patrols have been going out almost every night to make sure they are working properly.

The new lanterns have a high-pressure sodium light source, which has a greater light output than the original mercury discharge lamps, making them more energy efficient.

Many of the old concrete lampposts are also deteriorating and to extend their lives they are being fitted with aluminium sleeves at the same time the lanterns are being replaced.

Engineers also discovered asbestos in some of the original lanterns, which was disposed of in accordance with health and safety guidelines, while the metal lantern bodies have been recycled.

First published: December 19