A DISABLED man finally feels safe outside his home after the council fixed a broken light on a path that was dubbed the ‘black hole of Calcutta’.

City councillor Gareth Jones said it was disgraceful that it had taken so long for the council to repair the lamp, off Field Close, in Worcester.

Worcestershire County Council fixed the light yesterday morning and blamed the delays on health and safety rules.

Michael Layden, aged 70, who lives in one of the six houses along the path, has been complaining about the situation since September.

Mr Layden, who has had chronic fatigue syndrome, known as ME, for over 20 years and can only walk short distances, said: “It was so dark up here it made everything I did harder.

“If we had to go out at night we had to be so careful. You could have potentially tripped on something or I could have caught my wheelchair on something.

“If a criminal saw it was dark up here then it might have encouraged them to do something illegal.

“I’m amazed it’s finally been fixed. I feel safe outside again.”

Mr Layden, who was diagnosed with ME in 1999, usually has to use a wheelchair to get around.

Cllr Jones said: “The path was very dark. It was like the black hole of Calcutta.

“This 40-metre long footway has got one light. Michael’s wife has to push him on a wheelchair. You can’t see.

“The light hadn’t been working since September 5. He had reported it twice, I’d reported it twice. We were told it had been repaired and it hadn’t.

“I reported it for a third time and it was supposed to be fixed on the 21st. It was a poor show.

“If you are walking down a residential footway you should have certain illumination to see where you are going.

“Now it’s done I’d like to thank the council team for doing such a good job. They have put a new LED light on top of it.”

The councillor added that he was embarrassed about the delays as it looked like he was to blame for them, despite street lighting not being his responsibility.

A Worcestershire County Council spokesman said: “The street light was repaired yesterday morning, the delay in repairing the light was due to having to arrange scaffolding as ladder work is no longer permitted on concrete columns.”