A sign apologising for the lack of light on Billy Fury Way

SEVEN weeks of total darkness on West Hampstead’s main cut-through has turned it into a haven for dealers, fires and fly-tippers.

Billy Fury Way, the narrow footpath between Finchley Road and West Hampstead that is named after the 1960s rock’n’roll star, has had all 23 streetlights out since October 13.

A Camden Council notice at each end reads a “Power cable fault affecting a large number of lighting columns” and says a power company is working to fix it.

This is one of London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, with £1.5 million homes just streets away and many celebrity residents.

Yet locals say the blackout has transformed the already notorious alley into a magnet for crime and antisocial behaviour, leaving residents frightened, angry and feeling abandoned.

Fly-tipping has exploded with abandoned sofas, used needles, and soiled clothes lining the route.

The alley runs alongside a children’s nursery, a supported home for vulnerable adults and a large council estate.

Dealers and drug users gather openly.

Zoe Kemp has lived nearby for 20 years. She now carries a hammer every time she uses the path.

She said: “The lights on the whole of the lane are out. I wouldn’t walk down there anyway at nighttime, but it’s even more sketchy now.”

Ms Kemp said: “There was a drug addict arrested down there recently, but it’s still continuing. It’s worse at night, and the darkness has made it worse.”

Overhanging shrubbery hides much of the path even in daylight. At night, it is pitch black.

“The shrubbery makes it worse. I could smell fire last night, they’re still burning fires for drugs out there,” she said.

“It’s so dark that people drive from all over the borough to fly-tip here,” she added.

Residents have even tried boarding up their garden fences to stop intruders from climbing over in the dark.

Ms Kemp said: “I want the lights back. I want the rubbish removed. I don’t want to see crack pipes when I walk down there. I just want to feel safe.”

Despite the danger, Ms Kemp still feels for those sleeping rough and using drugs on the path.

She said: “Camden ideally, if it knows it’s got homeless addicts, should set up a shooting gallery [a space where drugs can be taken under medical supervision] and a hostel situation. These people need help.”

Sorting the lights might not be an easy fix.

Power comes from a UK Power Networks feeder pillar on Finchley Road.

Engineers need to dig beside it, but scaffolding is in the way.

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We recognise that the streetlamps on Billy Fury Way have been affected by a power fault and want to assure residents that we are working to rectify this. This is caused by a power fault to a pillar located on Finchley Road, which is managed by TfL. We have asked Transport for London to fix this issue, and in the meantime, we are working on installing solar lights as a temporary solution.”

But a TfL spokesperson said it is not their responsibility: “TfL would typically only request removal if the scaffolding didn’t comply with the agreed permit, which isn’t the case here.”

New Liberal Democrat councillor Janet Grauberg had called for urgent action.

“At the darkest time of the year, it’s really important this gets fixed soon, so people can use the path safely,” she said.

There are lots of organisations with a piece of the puzzle they need to pull together to get it fixed.”