HUNDREDS of solar-powered road lights which cost around £10,000 may have to be ripped out of after maintenance work stopped them from working.

Originally motorists were delighted with the cat’s eye studs, which illuminated the A636 Wakefield Road in the Clayton West area.

But now residents have complained to councillors about the non-functioning studs.

It seems they stopped working when Kirklees Council contracted a company to “surface dress” the road and their work covered up many of the cat’s eyes.

One resident, who didn’t want to be named, said he estimated only around a third of the studs put down from The Woodman, Clayton West, to the Wakefield boundary were still functioning.

He said: “The problem is that when tar and chippings were put down they have covered up the studs.

“I heard it cost £10,000 to put them in and I am angry about the waste of money.”

Denby Dale’s Clr Jim Dodds (inset) said: “It’s a shame. At our ward highway meeting we discussed the problem and the fact that the work carried out was not carried out as well as it should have been.

“Some of the studs have been hidden. It will be a shame if the studs have to be taken out.”

His colleague, Clr Elaine Ward added: “The solar-powered studs were absolutely excellent and myself and the residents are very cross about what has happened here.

“We want the solar-powered ones that were installed back and the people who caused the problem reprimanded.

“That road is susceptible to many pockets of fog and it’s important that we get them back as they were super.”

Clr Graham Turner said: “The road surface needed maintaining but obviously someone has made a mistake.

“Officers are now working with the manufacturers and contractors to find a solution.

“The contractors had attempted to mask the studs but that’s not been a great success.

“I have driven along that road and there are lots of them not functioning. “

A Kirklees Council spokeswoman said issues arose after maintenance work

He said: “Solar powered road studs have been introduced on a small number of trial sites in recent years on both the A636 Wakefield Road and also the A642 Wakefield Road at Grange Moor.

“The trial has raised some issues when surface dressing the road on the A636 and we are working to resolve the problem as soon as possible with partners/contractors and this will either see the solar studs reinstated or replaced by more traditional cats-eye type studs to highlight the road layout to drivers”.