Frustration has been voiced on Mull after the floodlights at Tobermory High School’s all sports pitches were padlocked by Argyll and Bute Council.
It was first noticed that the switchbox for the lights was locked in July, with training sessions for local sports clubs disrupted as the days continue to get shorter.
In a plea to the Mull community, a parent complained that their daughter’s football team had been unable to host training sessions due to the issue.
“We noticed a problem with the light box where the switches are kept, and contacted the council months ago to report the problem, hoping they would come and fix the problem for our school and local children,” said the parent.
“Instead, the council sent someone over to asses (the lights) and then placed two padlocks on our light box, meaning we have no access to the lights at all.
“We are now having darker nights and more and more children’s clubs are getting cancelled as it’s too dark for them to play.”
The parent added: “Argyll and Bute Council cannot get away with this. They are just pushing it to the back and forgetting about us. We need these floodlights.”
Local children’s football coach, Rhia Edwards said: “There is very little for the children and adults to do in the evenings here. We don’t have a cinema or youth club etc., and normally a lot of the children gather at the pitch and play sports.
“Originally we weren’t informed about the lights being locked and the reasons for it, and it has taken weeks to get a response.”
Ms Edwards added: “It is important for everyone to get back to training not only for their physical health and fitness, but also for their mental health.
“These sessions also allow people to mix and socialise with others that they wouldn’t normally speak to and in the kids’ case allows them to meet others from other schools and make more friends and connections.
“Some of the girls’ football team have qualified for the next round of a football tournament at the end of October and they are missing important training time which could have a negative impact on their performance.
An Argyll and Bute Council spokesperson said: “We understand the importance of appropriate lighting at the pitches.
“However, public safety is a priority and we took the decision to lock the box and switch the power off at the source after the controls were vandalised on a number of occasions.
“As a safety measure, we have ordered a weatherproof push-switch that will be accessible to everyone and hope to have this installed by our electrician in the next few weeks.”