Chiswick Woman In 'Near Miss' With Falling Lamp Post

Local woman has lucky escape in Grove Park street

A Chiswick woman is recovering from the shock of a near miss with a falling lamp post which came crashing down inches in front of her last week.

Penny Lillie, of Montgomery Court, Grove Park was walking towards the shops in Fauconberg Road when the incident happened last Tuesday morning (April 3).

The spot where the lamp post fell over is now a stump

Hounslow Highways said they believed the lamp post was likely to have been weakened from being hit by a vehicle. When ChiswickW4.com visited the scene, the lamp post was cordoned off and a stump remained.

A spokesman said: “We went to the site immediately and our crew cut through the lamp column, thereby making the remaining column stump structurally safe, and cordoned off the area with barriers."

He said it would be removed completely and replaced with a new lamp within a month. The electricity supply to the lamp was also disconnected.

Penny Lillie described it as an extremely near miss and was shaken by the incident. She is currently helping to care for her elderly mother who is undergoing treatment for cancer.

A spokesperson for Hounslow Council added: “Unfortunately there are instances such as road traffic accidents when vehicles collide with lamp columns which can weaken them, and while these are rare, we would urge residents to report any incidents to Hounslow Highways so they can take swift action to deal with it, as was the case on Tuesday.”

Three years ago a lamp post fell outside Chiswick Town Hall onto baby Tommy Hollis as he was in his pushchair, killing him before his first birthday.

April 5, 2013