Clapton stabbing near broken streetlight sparks fears
The incident occured on the corner of Geldestone and Northworld Road - Credit: Archant
Residents say a stabbing which has left a man in hospital could potentially have been avoided – if a broken lamppost had been fixed.
Officers were called to reports of the stabbing on the corner of Geldeston Road and Northwold Road in Upper Clapton on Friday night. Police said the 20-year-old man was taken to hospital and is being treated for non-fatal injuries.
One tenant of Inglethorpe House on the Tower Gardens Estate, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “It probably could have been avoided, yes – the light has been out since November.”
Residents have complained of ongoing drug–related and antisocial behaviour on the estate for the past 10 months.
In a letter to the estate manager, Stuart Round, of Inglethorpe House, said the incident was “not something we can be proud of – especially if a poor response to repeated complaints about safety lighting contributed to it”.
He added: “The area around Northwold and Geldeston roads has long been notorious for ‘incidents’.”
Anna Kidd, of the Tower Garden Tenants and Residents Association, (TRA) said the lamppost being fixed might not have affected whether the stabbing took place, but criticised the repair delay citing it a “health and safety issue”.
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On the morning of the incident, engineers had visited the light, in Briggeford Close, which residents reported broken in November, but they were told the electricians could not find a fault.
Ms Kidd said: “I am very disappointed that the matter has escalated to this situation.
“Is it really responsible to have a mobility slope for a block that has historically had people over the age of 55 or with medical difficulties, without a light to the entrance?”
She said she had spent almost £50 in the past three months “chasing” Hackney Homes about repairing a series of jobs.
A Hackney Homes spokesman said it was taking action to resolve the antisocial behaviour issues and working with the police to provide CCTV footage. The spokesman added the faulty light had been referred to UK Power Networks to attend to and restore power to the column. But a UK Power Networks spokesman said it had received no reports of problems with the light.
