POLICE had to intervene after workmen replacing lights in an Upper Norwood street claimed they were being harassed by residents.
The spat in Mowbray Road on Friday was sparked by an attempt to replace replica Victorian lights with modern equivalents.
The problem was quickly resolved but Mark Richardson, one of the residents involved in the protest, told the Advertiser he believed calling the police was an over reaction.
He said: "The contractors claimed we were being aggressive but we were not because there were people with babies and young people there.
"All we did was to put our arms around a lamppost to stop work."
The planned work was part of Croydon Council's £49million street light replacement programme.
In Mowbray Road, this involved half of the ten old-style lights being removed – a decision Mr Richardson said was dim.
He said: "This is wonderful example of a Victorian road and, although the existing lights were only put up in 2001, their Victorian design fits in with the area."
Residents' claims that the character of the road will be changed by the installation of new lights have been backed by conservation group, the Norwood Society.
It contacted the council in April, without success, asking it to keep the existing columns but install within them new, more energy-efficient bulbs.
This is the solution also backed by the residents, who say they have not been properly consulted about the changes.
Mr Richardson said: "I am livid the council has not replied to numerous e-mails."
He added that the replacements, as well as destroying the Victorian feel of the road, were not even as good as the old ones.
"We used to have a road which was evenly illuminated," he said.
"Now, apart from one light, we only have columns on one side the road."
A Croydon Council spokesman said public consultation had been held across the borough before the contract for replacing the lights was awarded.
He said: "We also ensure there are letter-drops to homes in the week before work starts, to let residents know what is going on."
The spokesman added that decisions on replacements were made for individual roads and that they were not necessarily like-for-like.
In many cases, columns like those in Mowbray Road had reached the end of their life and needed to be replaced anyway, he said.
