Claims death of student due to streetlight switch-off

Claims have been made that the death of Warwick student Archie Wellbelove, who was hit by a taxi in the early hours of the morning, was due to Warwick District Council’s streetlight switch-off policy.

Concerns from locals have now prompted the council to revise the timings of the switch-off, starting from tonight.

Street lights will now be switched off between the hours of 1am and 6:30am, a change from the original times of midnight to 5:30am. The scheme, implemented at the beginning of December, is set to save the council up to £500,000 per year.

Warwick District Council said they are responding to locals’ concerns but could not comment on the specific case of Mr Wellbelove, who was killed by a taxi on December 7 at 3:50am on one of the affected roads, whilst the police are investigating.

But critics have said the switch-off was a contributing factor to Archie’s death.

Brother of Archie and Warwick student Henry Wellbelove told the Boar that the switch-off was “without doubt, a contributory factor to my brother’s death”.

The owner of a local taxi firm has also described the switch-off as “completely irresponsible”.

Speaking to the Leamington Observer, Dil Ramzan of My Taxis said: “We simply cannot see anything on the roads anymore and this is extremely worrying for both drivers and passengers.

Archie Wellbelove who was killed by a taxi on December 7

“The streetlights should be on in the hours of darkness regardless of cost – after all, what is the cost of a life? Someone with a bright future has died within the first week of the council turning the lights off. Surely that says something?”

Mr Ramzan described the driver involved in the accident as a “very humble and noble man and sensible driver”

He said he was carrying three passengers at the time and all said they could not see anything on the road prior to the collision.

He added: “Those passengers are now absolutely distraught. Everyone is on edge since the lights went off at night. People fear that they are going to get mugged or sexually assaulted.”

Police allegedly had to ask the council to switch-on the streetlights so they could find Mr Wellbelove’s body following the accident on Kenilworth Road.

Mr Ramzan also said his firm are now receiving calls for 200m journeys and cannot cope with the demand.

Copper Rooms employee Derek Hatley expressed concern over driving late after a shift.

“You can’t see anything beyond your headlamps, which is okay on a deserted country road but in the middle of a town, someone could step out from between cars and you’d never see them,” he said.

“There are lots of people who have legitimate reasons to be out after midnight – shift workers, people who work in bars and clubs or people who simply want to have a night out – and it poses a serious risk to their safety.”

Student reaction to the switch-off has also been negative.

“Whilst going some way to solve the problem, for many students who can often stay out later than 1AM the same problem will exist,” said third-year History and Politics student Matt Davies. “We’ve already seen how terrible accidents can be caused at a much later time than 1am.”

Engineering student Jamie Day said she now feels unsafe. She added: “I hate walking home now!”

Third-year English Literature student Jonathan Pitman, who was walking home the night of Archie’s death, described the switch-off as “dangerous,…pitch black, and actually scary.”

Mr Hatley added he now feels less secure in his own home. He told the Boar: “After one of my late shifts I was up eating dinner before bed and a random man came and started knocking on my door at about 4am. I couldn’t see anything outside so I had no idea what was going on or what he wanted.

“I phoned the police but wasn’t able to give them any more details because I literally couldn’t see anything. Thankfully he went away on his own but it was still quite frightening.”

However Councillor Peter Butlin said the council will continually refine the scheme and listen to people’s views.

He said: “We have listened to the public’s concerns and monitored social media reaction to the switch off.

“We are extremely aware that a proportion of the public is uneasy about the lights being switched off at midnight, perhaps more so at this time of year. We have always said that this is a work in progress.”

What do you think about the Leamington streetlight switch-off? Tweet us @BoarNews.