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Residents of Alcantarilla have been finding their way home with torches after the streetlights in the Las Tejeras neighbourhood stayed off for 13 days, according to local resident Susi Lorente.

 

Ms Lorente shared a video on social media filmed at night along calle Escritor Gabriel García Márquez, which shows neighbours picking their way through the dark. She described the street as "darker than pitch black" and urged the council to get its act together.

 

Calle Voluntariado, next to the municipal indoor swimming pool, is also in darkness, as Socialist spokesperson Francisco Javier Cascales pointed out online. His group brought a motion to the council in October 2025 after residents complained about people drinking in unlit corners, vehicles skidding near the fairgrounds and damaged wing mirrors. The motion passed and called for new streetlights, fencing around the sports facility and more Local Police patrols at weekends, but Mr Cascales explained that a year later nothing has changed. He added that lighting problems in Alcantarilla have been going on for some time, with frequent outages in different neighbourhoods, and said approving agreements isn't enough if they're never put into practice.

 

Mr Cascales also said his group will request information on why Las Tejeras has been without power for so long, although he doesn't expect a quick answer and criticised what he described as a lack of transparency towards the opposition.

 

According to the Town Council, the outages are down to several cable thefts in recent days, particularly in Las Tejeras and some sections around the fairgrounds. The Local and National Police are working together to identify those responsible and are looking into whether it was an organised operation.

 

The Public Lighting Department is replacing the stolen cable and sealing the access points to stop them being reopened, and the council acknowledged the inconvenience and said it's working to restore normal service as soon as possible.

 

 

Image: Magnific