Health and safety rules mean scaffolding is required whenever a bulb needs replacing in the 30ft internal roof at St Mary's Church in Cottingham, Humberside. The church says the rules mean they cannot simply use ladders to change the bulb.

The staggering cost of performing the basic task means the church has to wait until a number of lights have popped before using scaffolding to replace the bulbs.

Not surprisingly, the clergy and congregation could be forgiven for taking a dim view, as it makes it hard to see the hymn books.

St Mary's Rector Father Paul Smith said: "Because of health and safety rules now, people can't take up a very long ladder to change the light when the tubes go.

"So every time we need to have some bulbs replaced we hang on until a few need replacing before we get someone in with scaffolding."

The 14th-century church in Hallgate has 30 internal roof lights and about a quarter of the 500-watt lights have gone out. Father Smith said: "The thing is, you can have new bulbs put in one week and then two or three more will go the next week and you are plunged into semi-darkness.

"You will lose one and you can cope with that, but then the next one will go and you have a really dark spot.

"It is not a very light building anyway. At the moment it's very dark in the evenings because so many lights have gone.

"We don't want to get the scaffolding until it's absolutely necessary because we don't want to be doing it every single time.

He added: "Health and safety concerns also rule out candlelight as an alternative for the grade one listed building. There may soon be light at the end of the tunnel for St Mary's. The village church is now looking at installing an LED (light-emitting diode) lighting system. LEDs have a longer lifetime so the lights would not have to be so frequently replaced."

Not replacing bulbs would save the church valuable funds at a time when costs are high. The church has had £30,000 of roof lead stolen in five raids in the past three years, including the latest theft in August.

Father Smith said stolen lead is being replaced with stainless steel in a bid to deter the thieves. Villagers have rallied round to help with fundraising, with the church's recent annual Gift Day raising about £6,000.

It is fuckin' sad, Britain is overloaded with fuckwits. Surly shop staff, chavs, snobs and jobsworths. Everyone hates each other and there are signs all over the place telling us wot we can do, and wot we can't do. It's all watched over by CCTV. I love driving off that ferry, back into France. Britain has lost the plot, poor sods!

What, they don't have these in Europe?




OOOOOPS I forgot, its an american invention, like the phone, electicity, airplanes, electric motors, computers, Tv, neon lamps, ad infinitum

How about trying another American invention when you change the bulbs next time?

Bite the bullet on cost and go to LED floods rated for at least 10,000 hours of burn time.

It'll be years until they have to bring in the scaffolding again.

FrogBites wrote:

How about trying another American invention when you change the bulbs next time?

Bite the bullet on cost and go to LED floods rated for at least 10,000 hours of burn time.

It'll be years until they have to bring in the scaffolding again.

Scafolding is for fucking cavemen

It's a church for crying out loud. Surely a quick prayer and their god will fix it.

"Surely a quick prayer and their god will fix it."

LET THERE BE LIGHT!

poz_2000 wrote:

Health and safety rules mean scaffolding is required whenever a bulb needs replacing in the 30ft internal roof at St Mary's Church in Cottingham, Humberside. The church says the rules mean they cannot simply use ladders to change the bulb.

The staggering cost of performing the basic task means the church has to wait until a number of lights have popped before using scaffolding to replace the bulbs.

Not surprisingly, the clergy and congregation could be forgiven for taking a dim view, as it makes it hard to see the hymn books.

St Mary's Rector Father Paul Smith said: "Because of health and safety rules now, people can't take up a very long ladder to change the light when the tubes go.

"So every time we need to have some bulbs replaced we hang on until a few need replacing before we get someone in with scaffolding."

The 14th-century church in Hallgate has 30 internal roof lights and about a quarter of the 500-watt lights have gone out. Father Smith said: "The thing is, you can have new bulbs put in one week and then two or three more will go the next week and you are plunged into semi-darkness.

"You will lose one and you can cope with that, but then the next one will go and you have a really dark spot.

"It is not a very light building anyway. At the moment it's very dark in the evenings because so many lights have gone.

"We don't want to get the scaffolding until it's absolutely necessary because we don't want to be doing it every single time.

He added: "Health and safety concerns also rule out candlelight as an alternative for the grade one listed building. There may soon be light at the end of the tunnel for St Mary's. The village church is now looking at installing an LED (light-emitting diode) lighting system. LEDs have a longer lifetime so the lights would not have to be so frequently replaced."

Not replacing bulbs would save the church valuable funds at a time when costs are high. The church has had £30,000 of roof lead stolen in five raids in the past three years, including the latest theft in August.

Father Smith said stolen lead is being replaced with stainless steel in a bid to deter the thieves. Villagers have rallied round to help with fundraising, with the church's recent annual Gift Day raising about £6,000.

bastards stealing the lead. Pricks