STREET lights that have been left on for weeks have been put in the shade by the one at the back of Gordon Shepherd's home in Nailsworth Close, Worcester.

It has been burning for at least two years!

Fuming Mr Shepherd said the light - which at night has been shining through his back door - had been on 24-hours-a-day since October 1998.

Its timing mechanism was finally fixed last week.

"It was on when I moved into the house in 1998, so who knows how long it had been on before that?" said the 68-year-old, who called the Evening News after reading the story of a street light that had been on for two months.

"It's a colossal waste and a bloody nuisance.

"A month ago other lights in the street had new tops put on them and although I spoke to a workman, I then rang the council when it wasn't sorted out."

A spokesman at Worcestershire County Council said the fault was thought to have been corrected some time ago.

"We were aware of the light and were under the impression it had been sorted out," he said.

"We did our utmost to ensure it was repaired as soon as possible once the problem was brought to our attention again."

Worcestershire County Council has set up a Daylights Detectives hotline to save energy and contractors are supposed to rectify any faults within eight days.

It is asking members of the public to report street lights that remain on during the day.

"I appreciate the public support in bringing faulty lights to our attention," said Tom Wells, portfolio holder for environment and sustainability.

"Not only will this save money but also help to conserve energy."

The freephone hotline number is 0800 137 352.