There are new hopes of switching on street lights in two parts of Dover branded as danger areas.

Kent County Council’s street lighting manager Sue Kinsella is now recommending that they will return at Whitfield Hill, which has a history of road accidents.

This is also recommended for Farthingloe where an elderly couple were broken into twice after the turn-off.

The news has been welcomed by Dover county councillor Gordon Cowan who said: “I am hopefully they will be back on in two or three weeks.

“I have been battling over this since the beginning.

“An elderly couple at Farthingloe has had two burglaries since the lights were turned off and Whitfield Hill has had road accidents, including fatal ones, in general.”

Street lighting manager Sue Kinsella told Cllr Cowan in an email: ” I consider this option could be more hazardous for drivers and I therefore recommend that all the lights are switched back on.”

A section of Farthingloe will be re-lit and Ms Kinsella explained: “Following the site visit I recommend that the lights are switched back on to just past the farm shop. The remaining lights beyond this point should be removed.”

Kent County Council had originally shut off and planned to remove these lights but reversed this decision in July after complains from residents.

But since then they have remained off.

Ms Kinsella had said that the original proposal was to remove lights at Whitfield Hill. But following discussions about the proposed developments in the area it was suggested that lights would be left at the bottom of the hill.

But to do this would leave a small section of lights to be removed before the roundabout at the top of the hill. She considered this option too hazardous for drivers.

At Farthingloe the original plan was to switch back on a number of lights and remove the rest.

The joint transportation board at Dover District Council pressed to keep the lights, saying that and more people would use the routes with big developments planned in Whitfield.