'I take different routes to stay in safer areas with street lighting'

FORMER teacher Sharon Stone says she has had to change her cycling or walking routes due to a lack of street lighting.

- BY STEPH SPYRO

She said she feels “very cautious” in unlit areas of Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

The 63-year-old said: “I take different routes to stay in the safer areas with street lighting, which makes my journey longer, or I have to pay for a taxi on a route I could easily walk.”

Balance

Ms Stone said her local authority replaced older lights with LEDs, which she says appear “dimmer”.

She said: “They don’t seem to shed their light over a wider area. I know there is the cost and being able to see the stars and things like that, but you've got to have a balance.”

Ms Stone, who sometimes leads women's group rides, said poor lighting also applies to cycle routes which go through “secluded” industrial land or overgrown areas.