Mixed response to road lighting switch off plan

RESIDENTS will not be consulted on controversial plans to switch off street lights across Essex at night.

Essex County Council plans to turn off about 70 per cent of the county's street lights between midnight and 5am, to save 14million in electricity bills and cut carbon emissions.

The council announced it will launch a consultation on the proposals with the emergency services and parish, town, district and borough councils, including Brentwood.

However, residents will not be allowed to submit their views.

Russell Quirk, councillor for Brentwood's Hutton North ward, said: "The county council has been careful not to do this too quickly and it has tried to point out it hasn't led to an increase in crime.

"The problem though is that the public see it as an issue because they feel safer with street lights on – it is about perception."

Resident Tim Joynes, 31, of Western Road, Brentwood, said: "It doesn't sit comfortably that residents have to go through their local councillor to have a say.

"Most people won't know who their local councillor is, but if they could comment on a website they would make more of an effort."

Areas such as town centres, key road junctions and common accident sites will be exempt from the scheme.

The county council has been running a pilot scheme in Maldon and Uttlesford since 2007, which it claimed caused minimal change to crime and road collision rates and has saved about 70,000 per year.

Tracey Chapman, county councillor responsible for highways and transportation, said: "This is not a decision we have taken lightly.

"We will be consulting in each district before implementing the scheme, to ensure we are sensitive to local street-lighting needs."

The Ministry of Interior, the Police and its affiliates also joined to observe Earth Hour for the fourth consecutive year this time in Abu Dhabi.

The Earth Hour slogan of the police was: "I will do ... If you have done."

There was a workshop at the Police Officers Club in Abu Dhabi, in co-operation with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development and the Society of Friends of the Environment with the participation of students of a number of schools.

 The event included a workshop to train children to manufacture candles and mural painting. It is part of the strategy of the Federal Government and the Vision 2021 as well as the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, the unification of national efforts to build generations with sustainable.