When engineer Robert Howell was tasked with fixing streetlights in Canterbury, he consulted those most likely to know where the faulty ones are – its citizens.

The 33-year-old took to Facebook to ask residents which lamps needed mending and was soon inundated with reports from across the city and surrounding villages.

In a week, he fixed almost 60 lights and earned praise for his good sense and initiative.

But Kent County Council, which operates the county’s street lights, did not agree and has given Robert a ticking off for not following proper procedure.

It says streetlight faults must be reported through its website, which states it could be 28 days before a broken one is fixed.

Robert, a former pupil of the Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, works for a firm which is contracted by county hall to repair lights.

He said: “I was covering someone for a week and was told to go out and fix as many streetlights as I came across.

“I thought that as I live in Canterbury I would go onto Facebook and ask people where the ones that needed fixing were.

“It was better to ask them to pinpoint the location than just driving around. I could get more fixed that way.”

Robert, who lives in Shipman Avenue on the London Road Estate, placed his request for information on the Canterbury Residents Group page and soon gathered reports.

He also kept residents updated on his progress, revealing that he had fixed six on the Spring Lane Estate alone

Messages of praise appeared soon afterwards. Robert was described as a “Christmas hero”, “super hero” and “star”. Others thanked Robert for his work.

London Road resident Michael Weston said: “I saw Robert’s post and thought it was an excellent use of social media and direct action.

“The streetlights need to be fixed and all he has done is ask the people of Canterbury where they are. What’s wrong with that?

“This shows initiative and it’s better for the environment because he’s not driving aimlessly around.

“These lights got fixed within a week at the darkest time of the year. If you follow the KCC procedure it could take 28 days. Robert and the company he works for deserve much praise for this.”

Robert generally took to the streets between 5pm and 2am and any lights he was unable to fix he reported to KCC.

He added: “I really just wanted to help people out and thought this was the most effective way of doing it. It was direct action, actually engaging with the people who live in Canterbury.

“Unfortunately, I’ve since been told that this isn’t right procedure and told to take the post down.”

Kent County Council said on Tuesday that Robert had been advised that using Facebook was not the correct way to report faults.

Spokesman Thom Morris said: “KCC welcomes feedback from our customers and we have designed our fault reporting tool so that you can quickly and easily let us know about any problems, such as streetlights that may not be working.

“It’s really important that you provide us with all of the information requested so that we can provide the right response quickly and efficiently.”

Log on to kent.gov.uk/highwayfaults to report streetlight faults. Complex or urgent matters can be reported by calling 03000 418181.