In the dark

There is the very old story in journalism about the reporter sent to review a play who went home without filing a story because the theatre burned down. And you can’t help but discern a similar outlook in how Swansea’s local paper calmly reports that 50 of the city’s lamp-posts have been found to be in a dangerous condition and have been taken down - without replacement.

Somehow you would have thought that the revelation - which doesn’t apparently even merit a mention on the EP website - would have received a bit more prominence and been liberally peppered with outrage from residents, opposition councillors and editor all asking pertinent stuff such as:

■ How did this happen and who is responsible?
■ Have pedestrians and motorists been at risk during the recent gales?
■ How often is the condition checked?
■ How long will Swansea’s streets be left in darkness during winter?
■ What effect will this have on crime and burglary?
■ When will lamp-posts be replaced and how long will it take?

The paper has not been so dispassionate about instances of piss-poor council maintenance in the past, so folks can only speculate as to what lies behind this new laid-back approach.

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Update (27 Nov): The story has since appeared on the paper's website.