Lamp Column Three lives in Rayfield, Epping.

For many years, probably more than 40, he has been an upright member of the community, standing there every day, shining onto his friends the pedestrians in their hours of darkness, right by a dark alley leading to Homefield Close, showing them their way home.

Life was good, then one day in February 2013, the men from the council came along and cut him down.

Now only 1m tall and unable to serve his community, he is still alive, as there is electricity running through his wires.

This fate has also befallen some of his companions in the vicinity.

What had he done wrong to deserve this?

A friend of his contacted the council and found out that he was old and made out of the wrong stuff (that’s concrete and reinforcing bars).

A year later (February 2014), the men from the council suddenly returned and put a companion beside Lamp Column Three – a new, shiny and flexible lamp column He is made out of steel, but he has no electricity running through his wires.

They had been sitting there for more than a month and then out of the blue, the men from the council dug a hole around them, exposing all their live wires.

I thought that this was now Lamp Column Three’s time to pass the ‘torch’ on to his new friend.

But again the men left, this time leaving barriers around them as if they were dangerous.

Three weeks have now passed and still nothing has happened, apart from some more men from the council coming along last Friday and filling the hole in.

I am still in the dark as to what’s happening.

Roger Muggleton, Rayfield, Epping.