County transport chiefs have warned it is to get tough with French electricity company EDF over the time it takes to repair broken streetlights.

Kent County Council said it was increasingly frustrated by the French-owned company over the time it took to restore power to broken streetlights and make connections to new lights.

It has now demanded a meeting with company bosses to remind them about their contractual obligations.

Transport chiefs say that EDF frequently exceeds a 30-day deadline for restoring power and making new connections.

Geoff Harrison-Mee, the county council's senior roads chief, said: "EDF's service levels are appalling. They fail not only us but many of their own customers who are seeking power connections to a new development. I am now at a point where we are considering what financial penalties we can impose for not delivering a service."

The authority’s efforts to persuade the company to act more quickly had not improved response times, he added.

While the county council is responsible for mending faults where streetlights are damaged or broken, it has no responsibility for power connections.

Cllr Roger Manning (Con), the chairman of Kent County Council’s highways board, said the council’s ability to influence EDF were limited but said he would try and arrange a meeting.

"We cannot buy our electricity from anywhere else. It is very, very difficult," he said.

EDF is one of the UK's largest energy suppliers, providing electricity and gas to 5.5 million customers.