Lamppost that fell on child in Shrewsbury had been 'corroded inside'
Old lampposts have been replaced and others are being monitored after a child was hit when one fell down, a Shropshire Council meeting has heard.
The accident was one of 645 recorded in a Health and Safety report to the council in the last year as incidents went up 50 per cent from 431 the year before, a report to the council's cabinet was told on Wednesday.
The authority referred eight incidents to the Health and Safety Executive which shows the main causes of accidents were slips, trips and falls, as well as violence in schools.
One of the incidents referred to the HSE was a schoolboy breaking his leg when he was hit by a falling lamppost in Shrewsbury.
The incident happened in Kingston Drive, on the London Road estate, in November last year. Several other lampposts were taken down as a precaution while Shropshire Council investigated the cause.
The report said: "A painted steel 'hockey stick type' street lighting column collapsed and fell onto a parked car at the side of the roadway, injuring one of the vehicle's passengers who was in the process of getting out of the vehicle. The remaining lighting columns in the street were inspected.
"An action plan was implemented for a program of re-inspections and non-destructive testing of painted steel lighting columns."
Councillor Gwilym Butler, the council's finance and corporate resources chief, said the issues had been discussed with officers and they have been looking at the council's lampposts. The fault had been in an old lamppost that had corroded inside, he said.
Councillor Richard Marshall, the council's highways and regulatory services chief, said the batch of similar lampposts had all been checked and some had to be replaced.
"The others are being monitored," he added.
