Tyneside Council Rebuff Conspiracy Theories

Tyneside Council responds to conspiracy theories saying that its streetlights do not cause cancer.

16:40 11 April 2018

Gateshead council has released an official statement to dismiss rumours surrounding its streetlights. In a bizarre Facebook message, it said that contrary to conspiracy theories, its streetlights will not give anyone cancer, induce miscarriages in pregnant women, cause nosebleed or insomnia and are not killing all the birds and insects in the area.

 

It is understood that the Council was forced to issue an official statement after conspiracy theorists have managed to scare a lot of people.

 

A spokesperson for Gateshead Council said: “We are aware that certain individuals are frightening local people with false stories about the street lights in Gateshead – despite the fact we, and others, have told them repeatedly that their allegations are entirely false.

 

“We don’t know how these conspiracy stories start, but we are happy to report that this is exactly what these are. These tales are completely untrue and you should ignore them.

 

“Please be assured that there is no scientific basis or credible evidence for any of these scare stories about street lights causing cancer and other illnesses.

 

In the end, the council asked Facebook users to help them raise awareness by sharing their post. It said: “We ask you to share this information with your friends and neighbours as we understand that some residents have been badly frightened by these tales, and the more people who understand that they are completely false, the better.”