ELDERLY residents fear that a council's failure to fix a light outside a community hall could result in serious injury.

The street light, outside Neasham Reading Rooms, in Sockburn Lane, has been broken since Christmas.

An 85-year-old Darlington woman, who did not want to be named, said the problem was compounded by rubbish in Sockburn Lane.

She said: "You can't see the steps when you come out."

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said the problem was a cable fault which was complicated to fix, but it would repaired as soon as possible.