By 
COUNCIL has moved to assure local people that the iconic Tinnies have been re-illuminated once again, after they went dark last week.
In recent weeks passers-by noticed that the sculpture, usually bathed in glowing light during night-time hours thanks to a recent £40,000 upgrade to the lighting system, was covered in gloom.
Following an application by this newspaper, a spokesperson for Derry City and Strabane District Council explained, “An issue has been identified with the electrical control gear at the Tinnies; a temporary repair has been completed this evening with replacement parts expected to be installed in the coming days. The system is currently temporarily operational again.”
When asked again this week if the replacement parts were fitted, another spokesperson for council confirmed that the electrical control gear had been fixed at the weekend and that the lighting system was now fully operational.
Commenting on the outage, Cllr Paul Gallagher said, “The Tinnies are an intrinsic element to the heart of Strabane and should be treated as such.”