Director of Micklegate-based Gotch’s Electrical Store Philip Mosey said he feared for the safety of his staff when they left each night because a number of bulbs were out in Back Micklegate car park.

He added the alleyway connecting Finkle Street to the car park was pitch black .

Mr Mosey said: “We have female staff and some of them won’t walk through to the car park without someone else to walk with them.

“Some of my staff have to park in Back Micklegate car park. There are CCTV cameras there, but without adequate lighting they won’t see anything.”

He added: “The lighting was all done when Finkle Street was improved a few years ago, but since then the lights have gone out and never been replaced.”

Ward councillor Steve Shaw-Wright said: “The car park is a district council responsibility and I would advise people to write to Martin Connor, and if it comes to a meeting, we will support them.

“The car park lighting should be replaced as a priority because they have a Park Mark award for secure parking, which means there should be lighting so they could risk losing their Park Mark if something isn’t done.”

Coun Shaw-Wright added he believed Renaissance improvements in Gowthorpe and in front of the abbey would become equally neglected once they had been completed.

He said: “The district council never maintain anything, they don’t even maintain the district council offices so what chance has a bulb down Gowthorpe got?”

An SDC spokesman said the lighting in the alleyway connecting Finkle Street to back Micklegate car park was the responsibility of North Yorkshire County Council.

He added the car park lights were SDC’s responsibility and they would be fixed now the authority had been made aware of the problem.