Anger as faulty tower light blocks Wolverhampton sport tracks

The light at Aldersley Leisure Village was lowered on the circular track and awaits being put back up after it became unstable.

But it has resulted in Wolverhampton Wheelers Cycling Club having to cancel its sessions for members.

The group usually holds up to four sessions a week for its 300 plus members.

John Ireson, club chairman, has demanded Wolverhampton City Council, which manage the stadium, resolve the problem so the sessions can be restarted.

He is also unhappy the council cannot give a date for when the lighting will be fixed.

He said the cancelled sessions being cancelled will cost the club around £200. The light came down two weeks ago.

He said: "I have been left frustrated with how the track and stadium facilities have been left undermined in recent years.

"And I think this lighting problem is the icing on the cake for us.

"I just can't take much more of this as this is costing us money.

"This effects three sessions we have per week stopping access to the facility for 300 members. This also has an effect on our revenue stream and will affect the forthcoming track league which attracts riders from all over the region

"With brighter skies at night this is our busiest time of the year and we need the track to be available.

"It needs someone with a trailer or something to be able to move the light out of the way to make the track available again.

"The council have recently invested a lot of money in re-furbishing the stadium installing a Costa Coffee but neglecting the parts of the facility that generate the most revenue.

"The track needs a considerable amount of money spending on it and despite speaking with the council over the past 18 months very little has been done. It is getting to the point where if nothing is done soon then the track will be in an unusable condition.

"I would like to stress the staff at Aldersley Stadium have been very helpful to us and we appreciate their support."

Wolverhampton City Council spokesman Tim Clark said repairs to the light tower would be complete as soon as possible although did not give a precise date.

"Recent heavy winds caused a floodlight column at WV Active Aldersley to become dangerously unstable," he said.

"To make it safe, it has been temporarily lowered while we await the manufacturers to come and inspect the fittings.

"Unfortunately, due to the location of the floodlight, the only practical way to do this was to lay it over the cycle and athletics track.

"We apologise for the inconvenience this is causing groups and individuals who use the tracks. Public safety has to be our first priority, but we are working to get things back to normal as soon as possible."

The Wolverhampton Wheelers Cycling Club has been part of the city since 1891 and has become one of the pioneering Cycle Sport clubs nationwide winning many awards.