PENSIONERS have finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel after a two-year fight for repairs to two streetlamps outside their Malmesbury homes.

The residents of the five bungalows in Hodge Lane, all of whom are aged 80 or above, had to use torches to find their way home at night and lived in fear of slipping on the eight steps on the sloping path to their homes.

The pensioners also worried the darkness made their homes an easy target for burglars.

Finally Jose Newman, 80, got so fed up with the inaction of the authorities that she contacted the Gazette. And within 24 hours of our inquiries, the streetlamps were repaired.

Mrs Newman, who has lived at the lane for the last 16 years, said the length of time repairs took was a sad reflection of how pensioners are treated.

"It just goes to show they do not notice our OAPs," she said.

"I have been fighting for the last 18 months and nothing happened. Then within a day after I speak to the papers the lights are repaired."

Mrs Newman is delighted to have the lights back on again. She said: "It makes the world of difference to the steps. Neighbours rang me up when they found out the lights were back on. It was wonderful."

There are three streetlights on Hodge Lane, which leads to Burnham House Care Home owned by the Order of St John, and they all went out within months of each other.

The streetlight on the care home land was repaired, but confusion arose

between different authorities as to who was responsible for maintenance of the other two.

Wiltshire County Council would

normally repair streetlamps. But a spokesman said the county council was responsible only for public highways and as the road was private it was not its concern.

He said: "The road is not an adopted highway and the lights are not our responsibility.

"North Wiltshire District Council used to have responsibility for the street lights."

The spokesman said the lights were the responsibility of Westlea Housing Association, which took over the Hodge Lane bungalows from North Wiltshire District Council.

A spokesman for Westlea said that it had tried without success to establish who was responsible for the lights, but decided to put an end to the residents' plight by arranging for the repairs to be carried out on Saturday morning,

He said: "We are concerned about the ongoing inconvenience to our

tenants and the obvious issues relating to safety.

"It is with this in mind that we have decided to step in and arrange for the lights to be repaired."

But Mrs Newman said she was unhappy not just that it took so long to fix the lights but because she rarely got a response to her phone calls.

She first phoned Westlea which told her to phone Wiltshire County Council.

The county council said it would look into the problem but despite two further phone calls, the most recent of which was three months ago, it did not respond. Mrs Newman also contacted the town council which said it would e-mail those accountable.

In May district councillor Ann Davis said she would pursue the issue but has not returned three subsequent phone calls, said Mrs Newman.

Mrs Newman said: "It was very dangerous for us. The steps have no lines marking the edges, we used torches but it is very difficult to see.

"I did not complain for a year because I thought they would be repaired. I think it is ridiculous it took so long."