Row over street lights turned off at night

SWATHES OF Britain are being plunged into darkness as more and more street lights are switched off by councils and highways authorities.

Lights are being turned off on motorways and other major roads, in town centres and residential streets, and on footpaths and cycle ways, as councils try to save money on energy bills and meet carbon emission targets.

The switch-off begins as early as 9pm. Authorities are turning off the lights despite concerns from safety campaigners and the police that it will lead to an increase in road accidents and crime.

The full extent of the blackout can be disclosed after an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph - which comes on the day clocks are moved back an hour. The survey found that: 3,080 miles of motorways and trunk roads in England are completely unlit.

A further 47 miles of motorway have no lights between midnight and 5am, including one of the busiest stretches of the M1 between Luton and Milton Keynes. Out of 134 councils that responded to the survey, 73 per cent said they had switched off or dimmed some lights or were planning to.

All of England's 27 county councils have turned off or dimmed lamps in their areas.

The majority of councils have chosen to turn off lights late at night, when they say there is less need for them, while others have installed lamps that can be dimmed.

Local authorities say the blackout helps reduce energy bills, with prices continuing to rise. Several of the big energy companies have raised their prices in recent weeks, including British Gas, npower and EDF Energy - which this week said it was increasing its standard variable prices for gas and electricity customers by 11 per cent.

Some councils expect to save hundreds of thousands of pounds by turning off lights at night or converting them to dimmer switches. However, others admit they may not see savings for four or five years because of the cost of installing new lights, dimmer switches and complex control systems.

Some councils - as well as the Highways Agency, which is responsible for motorways and major A roads - say the lights are being turned off to meet "green" targets to cut carbon emissions, by reducing electricity use.

Critics say spending money to meet the targets is a poor use of public funds.

The blackout was criticised by safety and motoring organisations, which said the benefits were being overstated.

They said less street lighting was likely to lead to an increase in accidents and more crime.

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: "The presence of lighting not only reduces the risk of traffic accidents but also their severity.

"Surveys have shown the public are in favour of street lighting as a way of improving road safety. If anything, it needs to be improved in some areas.

"There are economic and environmental reasons why some organisations may wish to reduce the amount of lighting. However, there are safety reasons why lighting needs to be available."

Paul McClenaghan, the commercial director of Halfords, said: "Poor lighting or none at all can make it very difficult for motorists to see hazards or objects clearly at night.