A FATHER-OF-TWO was left "living in a mugger's paradise" after street lights in Upper Norwood stopped working.

Dave Miller says walking to his home in South Vale became scary after it and surrounding roads were plunged into darkness last Tuesday.

The 51-year-old claims the blackout led to one car being broken into.

It took six days before the lighting was restored, although EDF Energy was only informed of the problem last Friday.

"It's the second time it's happened this year," Mr Miller said. "It was a mugger's paradise. It was really easy for anyone to hide in the shadows. I didn't want to walk down there late at night."

Mr Miller says the lighting on the street is a major problem – even when the lights are switched on.

He claims one parked car is broken into every two weeks on average, which he blames on the lights being so dim.

Croydon Council says a £78 million investment plan, which will be shared between Croydon and Lewisham, will eventually result in more than 30,000 new street lights being installed over a five-year period.

The project has been delayed because of the recession, but it is hoped work will begin in the summer of 2011.

An EDF Energy spokeswoman said the first the company knew about the lights being out was when Croydon Council reported the problem last Friday.

She added: "Our engineers attended (on Monday) and restored power to all but four lights in Harold Road and two in Vermont Road. We are working to restore power to the remaining six lights as quickly as possible."