Residents are upset lampposts in their street are being replaced - even though they have been told it is for safety reasons.

The four ornate cast-iron posts, put up when the houses were built in Redwood Park, Capel, 30 years ago, are said to be at the “end of their life”.

Kent County Council (KCC), which is in charge of street lighting, is replacing them with more modern versions but has stressed that they have “decorative features to match the old ones”.

Redwood Park resident Peter Chapman said: “There are three vans and six men here switching them over, at, we are told, a cost of £10,000. Why?

“The old ones were working perfectly well and fitted in with the character of the area.

“Surely there has to be something better for KCC to spend its money on?”

But a spokesman for KCC said: “We carry out a programme of structural testing on our streetlamps to ensure their safety.

“The streetlight columns in Redwood Park have failed structural testing and are at risk of collapse if they are continued to be used.

“The only safe option is to scrap the old columns and replace them.

“The column doors are being saved as spares and the lanterns will be remaining.

“‘The original light columns were installed in the 1990s by the developer of Redwood Park and had a lifespan of around 20 to 30 years.

“The new columns are designed for a longer life and have an estimated lifespan of 50 years, more than doubling the lifespan of the columns installed in the 1990s.

“The new lampposts have decorative features to match the old ones, so they don’t look like the modern lampposts.”