Ground lights smashed and missing along Drogheda town centre lane

Ground-level lights installed along one of Drogheda town centre's key pedestrian links have been smashed, damaged or are missing altogether, despite lighting on the laneway having been highlighted as an important safety issue for decades. A number of the lights embedded in the ground along Meat Market Lane, which links West Street with Dyer Street, are currently out of action, with some visibly smashed and others apparently missing. Cllr Pio Smith has called for the lights to be repaired promptly, warning that the town cannot afford a repeat of previous delays in dealing with damaged public lighting. 'What we don't want is a repeat of previous years when public lights were broken, it took weeks and in some cases months before the lights were fixed,' he said. 'A well-lit town centre in the winter time gives people a sense of security and wellbeing.' Cllr Smith said Meat Market Lane was of particular concern because of ongoing issues with anti-social behaviour and people feeling uncomfortable using the route. 'Meat Market Lane is a particular flash point. Invariably I see some people gather there who are affected by alcohol or drugs and many people feel uncomfortable walking through there during the day, never mind at night.' With the annual Lú Festival approaching, Cllr Smith said ensuring the town centre was properly lit and adequately policed should now be a priority. 'With the Lú Festival coming up soon, we need to ensure that the town centre is well lit up and well policed.' The condition of the lighting raises questions about the upkeep of the busy pedestrian route, particularly as Drogheda heads into the darker autumn and winter evenings. Meat Market Lane has undergone improvements over the years aimed at making the narrow laneway a more attractive and welcoming connection between two of the town centre's main streets. Louth County Council's own urban design guidance has previously highlighted Meat Market Lane as an example of how surfacing and feature lighting can be used to improve restricted laneways, while recognising the importance of paving and lighting in making such routes pleasant for pedestrians. However, the current condition of the ground-level lighting appears at odds with those efforts to improve the public realm. A smashed recessed ground light on Meat Market Lane. Concerns surrounding lighting and safety on Meat Market Lane are far from new. As far back as January 2001, the Drogheda Independent reported calls for improvements to lighting on the lane amid concerns that people felt unsafe using the pedestrian route after dark. At the time, the then Drogheda Corporation confirmed that its engineering section was seeking quotations for the replacement of a public light midway along the lane and the repair of another. More than two decades later, Meat Market Lane was again singled out during discussions about pedestrian safety in Drogheda. In 2022, councillors Joanna Byrne and Michelle Hall raised concerns about women feeling unsafe while using a number of pedestrian routes in the town, including Meat Market Lane. They sought improved lighting and greater visbility on pedestrian routes, with Cllr Hall saying at the time that areas should be made 'brighter and therefore feel safer'. The issue arose again in 2023 when Cllr Smith highlighted Meat Market Lane as an important connection between Dyer Street and the main shopping area of West Street. He said at the time that the narrowness of the lane could make it intimidating for people to walk through during dark evenings, particularly when combined with incidents of anti-social behaviour. The lane has seen considerable efforts at regeneration and is now home to businesses as well as colourful street art, making it an increasingly visible part of Drogheda's town centre. The damaged and missing ground lights, however, raise fresh questions about whether infrastructure installed to improve the laneway is being adequately maintained. The Drogheda Independent has contacted Louth County Council to establish when the ground-level lights were originally installed, how many are currently damaged or out of operation and whether the council is aware of their condition. The council has also been asked whether vandalism is believed to be responsible for the damage, when the lights were last inspected and whether there are plans to repair or replace them. Questions have also been raised about whether the council considers the existing lighting on Meat Market Lane adequate for pedestrians using the route after dark.