A council has been accused of robbing the poor to give to the rich by digging up more than 30 ornate Victorian-style street lamps to move them to more upmarket areas.

All but two of the cast-iron lampposts have illuminated the streets of St Andrews, a suburb of Bristol, since the 1920s but were removed without warning this week.

They have been replaced with modern lights which, residents say, look out of place and have a harsher glare. Their old lampposts are likely to end up in Clifton, a smart conservation area of tree-lined streets and Georgian villas.

Bristol City Council says the lampposts had to be replaced because they were not bright enough to deter street crime and thefts. It confirmed that some were being moved to conservation areas and admitted that workmen began removing the lampposts before residents were notified.

David Cemlyn, a local historian,said: “We woke up one morning and all the Victorian lampposts that were up and down the street had been removed. It is as though it's nothing to come along and take out 100-year-old lampposts and give them to another area. It's absolutely crazy.”

He added: “And we don't mind? Of course we mind. I'll chain myself to them if necessary.”

Those considered to be in good working order will go to one of 33 conservation areas in the city, one of the largest of which is Clifton, home to the suspension bridge.

In a statement, the city council said: “The 30 or so cast-iron columns that have been recently replaced in St Andrews were outdated and gave off limited light. They did not meet environmental standards.They are currently in storage awaiting allocation to a scheme or schemes in one or more of our 33 conservation areas.They are not specifically earmarked for the Clifton area at this stage.”

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Science News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Litvinenko murder suspect's peace offer
• Low rollers seize chance to scoop £5m on the nose
• I wish I were Chancellor now, says Ken Clarke