Hereford Football Club’s Floodlight Installation Encounters Another Delay

The process of installing new floodlights for Hereford Football Club has encountered an additional setback, occurring two months beyond their original scheduled construction date. A two-week period within the match calendar had been allocated for contractors to carry out the work at the Edgar Street ground. This initiative had previously experienced a temporary suspension because National Highways required to grant approval for the new lighting system. Jamie Griffiths, the club’s general manager, stated that operations were scheduled to begin on Monday, but contractors managed to drill “three holes before they realised they couldn’t get deep enough because of the water table.” Construction personnel encountered elevated groundwater levels after heavy rainfall affected parts of Herefordshire last week. Mr Griffiths stated: “The amount of rain that we had and with the table water being so high they just want to make sure that they are future proofing so if we continue to get this wet weather year on year, the foundations will be robust enough to cope with that.” He further noted, “Work’s been delayed but it’s still ongoing and hopefully maybe in the next month we’ll have the new floodlights.” Initially, the club had aimed for the floodlights to be operational by 10 August, coinciding with the commencement of the National League North season. National Highways, the authority responsible for the A49 Edgar Street, which runs adjacent to the ground, was required to conduct a “technical approval process” before authorizing the new lighting system. Chris Ammonds, the chairman of the football club, had earlier cautioned that these postponements posed a risk to the club’s viability. This threat stemmed from the possibility of the existing “enormous, old-fashioned” pylon-mounted lights failing during the season, or from delays hindering the club’s ability to secure funding for their substitutes. Mr Griffiths expressed that he maintained an optimistic outlook despite the impediment. He remarked: “Whenever you dig down there’s always potential for problems and I’m sure we’re not the only people that have had to slightly delay works.” He also mentioned that “Everyone from the council football foundation has been really supportive.” For updates, follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external links is available.