Cheryl Richards sadly passed away last September after being knocked down by a car, with later reports revealing that the accident was chiefly caused by the lack of pavement and street lighting on the road where she lost her life.
Now the finger of blame has been pointed at Ms Richards’ local council, which decided to turn off street lights in the area between the hours of midnight at 5.30am in a bid to save money. The baffling move was part of a Conservative-backed austerity move which has been saving the council £300,000 per year since its introduction.
The inquest in Salisbury this week heard that the absence of any street lighting on the A361 in Wiltshire was one of the main factors in Ms Richards’ tragic death.
Coroner Ian Singleton told the hearing: “Although Cheryl was walking along the road in the middle of the carriageway, there is no suggestion it was done with the intention of causing harm to herself or anyone else.”
“Given the lack of street lighting and that Cheryl was not wearing any reflective clothing, it would have been impossible for Mr Sullivan [the driver] or any others driving on that road to steer or break to avoid her,” he added.
Speaking at the inquest, Ms Richards’ partner, Simon Cook, who had been with her on the night, admitted that while both had been drinking on the night in question, neither were drunk and they thought it would be safe to walk on the grass verge in the centre of the road.
Ms Richards’ family released a statement in which they said: “This as a family has devastated each and every one of us. We will never be able to get over this loss.”
Meanwhile, local Independent councillor, Councillor Clark, said that he intends to speak with Wiltshere Council to discuss turning the street lighting back on, in an effort to prevent any similar accidents occurring in the future.
“I would have been happier if the lights had been dimmed or if every other one was used, as it was a little bit foolhardy to switch them completely off, but absolutely they need to look at it again – one death is one too many,” he said.
