Lights On in Leicester: Streetlights in Disarray After Cyberattack

Lights On in Leicester: Streetlights in Disarray After Cyberattack

April 24, 2024 at 03:13PM

Leicester City Council is facing continued challenges with streetlights remaining on due to a recent cyberattack impacting the central management system. Residents, like Roger Ewens, have expressed concern over the high energy usage leading to increased electricity costs. The council aims to resolve the issue by the first week of May amid ongoing IT system shutdowns.

Key Takeaways from the meeting notes:

1. Following a cyberattack, Leicester City Council is experiencing operational issues with the city’s streetlights failing to shut off.

2. A resident, Roger Ewens, reported that streetlights in Leicester were staying on day and night, with an imbalance on different sides of Anstey Lane.

3. The cyberattack affected the “central management system,” causing the streetlights to behave erratically.

4. Concerns have been raised about the increased energy consumption and electricity costs due to the prolonged operation of the streetlights.

5. Residents were informed via email that the issue should be resolved by the end of the first week of May.

6. The city council spokesperson acknowledged the problem, attributing it to the recent cyberattack. Due to the IT systems shutdown, remote identification of faults in the street lighting system remains unfeasible.

7. The spokesperson explained that the default mode for faults is to keep the lights on to prevent unlit roads from becoming a safety concern.

8. The city council is working to address the issue as quickly as possible, with multiple steps required for resolution.

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