Frustrated residents living on a housing estate which has been plagued by problems say they are fed up of being left in the dark due to faulty street lights.

More than 20 lampposts across Great Easthall in Sittingbourne are not working properly.

The housing development has been the subject of criticism for many years.

Plans for the estate were first revealed in 2003, which included space for retail and a school.

The Northern Relief Road, which would link the homes with the A2 at Bapchild, was also part of the initial proposals.

Decades passed and as more properties were built, none of the infrastructure came to fruition.

Residents have previously told KentOnline they were victims of a series of broken promises.

And now they have been left in the dark for months - even years - and struggling to find out who is responsible for the upkeep of the lights.

Cllr Ashley Wise (Lab), who represents Kemsley ward, along with Cllr Mark Last (Lab), who oversees Murston, have been looking into the issue.

The lampposts were first flagged to them by residents at the end of November.

Streetlights are usually looked after by Kent County Council (KCC), however some are still privately owned.

“People just give up and accept that they live in an area where the lights don't work,” Cllr Wise explained. “That's not good enough. It’s a real safety issue.

“There are footpaths that are pitch black. A car park on Easton Drive is in complete darkness.

“People don’t feel happy leaving their vehicles as there is no real security. It really impacts them."

After walking around the estate, the councillor counted 22 faulty lampposts.

A resident in Limehouse Court told him a light outside her property hasn't worked since she moved to the area five years ago.

The responsibility of street light maintenance falls to the original developers, who have merged and changed names over the years.

One of which is Countryside, who is now part of the Vistry Group and the other is Taylor Wimpey. Both have now told KentOnline they working to resolve the issue.

Usually, a transfer agreement takes place after a number of years, where responsibility is handed over to the council or another party.

It is understood that many homeowners in the area pay a service charge or ground rent to the developers.

Murston ward councillor Carrie Pollard (Swale Ind) has also been trying to get some answers.

“I have been going from pillar to post,” she said. “It’s very frustrating.

“Residents and I have been reporting these issues but go round and round in circles.

“I will continue to pursue the matter.”

“This has gone on for months now,” Cllr Wise added. “Why is it not easier for residents to get these issues fixed?

“It’s not a case of going to one person and we all get stuck in the same system.

“I understand why people end up raising it with us councillors because they get sick of being fobbed off.”

A spokeswoman from Vistry said: “We are responsible for 14 of the defective lampposts within the Great Easthall development, with responsibility split between different Vistry regional businesses.

“Lighting contractors have been appointed to investigate all the defective lampposts under Vistry’s management and to advise on their remediation.

“We are working hard to resolve the issue as soon as possible.”

A spokeswoman for Taylor Wimpey added: “We have been made aware of issues regarding faulty street lights on our Great Easthall development.

“We immediately contacted our appointed contractor and the repairs will be completed by the end of this month.

“We are also in ongoing communication with the local councillor to keep them informed of the progress."