DAMAGE to Whitehaven’s lights will costs thousands of pounds to repair say the town’s harbour commission.

Efforts to repair the lights on Whitehaven’s marina are ongoing after they were damaged over the Christmas period by vandals, undoing previous efforts to fix them.

A spokesman for the Whitehaven Harbour Commission said: “Last year a significant number of the festival lights on the wall of the Old New Quay and the Old Quay were damaged by vandals, exposing the internals of the LED light fittings.”

The latest instance of vandalism to the harbour lights was reported to the harbour commissioners on January 6.

The spokesman continued: “A further 10 lights on the Old Quay were damaged over the Christmas period and for safety reasons the lights have been isolated until they can be replaced.”

The commission has found a tougher alternative to the fittings and they are hoping to authorise their installation to coincide with their planned development of a Coastal Activities Centre on the harbourside.

“The replacement lights are designed to be ‘vandal proof’ and will have colour changing LED light fittings so we hope that they will enhance the harbourside and be robust enough to last for many years,” said the spokesman.

“We are currently engaging with our insurers in order to replace the lights, as the damage runs into several thousands of pounds, and we are hopeful we will be in a position to start the work in early spring.”

Mayor of Whitehaven, Brian O’Kane, said: “It just seems that vandalism in the town has become a real concern, especially when people have gone to such efforts. It is a totally mindless act, often by a small number of people in the town.”

A resident reacted with anger at the vandalism in a post on Facebook. They wrote: “It looks like someone has gone along the harbour wall and smashed the glass on most of the lights that look like portals. It’s everywhere, so dog walkers keep an eye on your dog’s paws.”