Residents are being warned that a project to fix broken and outdated street lighting 'will take some time'.

Streets in Bovington - including Gaza Road, St Julien Road and New Road - have been left 'pitch black' by the problem, according to the father of one householder, who said he is currently undergoing physio after stumbling off a kerb in the darkness.

Kevin Ayrton, whose daughter lives on St Julien Road, said he was on the way to the local shop when the incident happened, and has also voiced concerns that his eight-year old granddaughter is currently unable to play outdoors as a result of the outage.

"There's one light working just to the right of my daughter's house, and then the street goes pitch black - it was so dark I couldn't see the edge of the kerb", he said.

"At first the pain was very intense. It happened around February 14 and I've since been seeing a physiotherapist, who said I have plantar fasciitis and has given me exercises.

"If children were to walk to the shop in the pitch black, anything could happen".

Following the incident, Mr Ayrton said he contacted both Dorset County Council and the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and at first was unable to find out who was responsible for fixing the lights.

Following enquiries by the Dorset Echo the MOD has now said it is planning to repair the lighting - but has warned the work may take some time.

A spokesman said: “Responsibility for maintaining street lighting on these roads lies with the Ministry of Defence. We are aware of issues with the street lighting and are working to resolve them.

"However we ask the local residents for their continued patience as much of the cabling is at least 40 years old, which means it needs to be replaced. This is not a small task and will take some time.”

A Dorset County Council spokesman said: "Since the MOD sold most of its housing to private individuals, residents are only discovering what it really means to buy a property away from an adopted highway.

"Their concerns on lighting and other issues have been answered by our development team, with the assistance of their MP."