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07/09/2010
The decision by some councils to turn off street lighting in cost-saving drives has drawn criticism from MPs and motoring groups, amid fears that crashes and crime could increase.
While some authorities have opted to switch off units during certain periods each day, others have simply shut down entire areas of lighting.
Buckinghamshire County Council told BBC News that it had shut down 1,600 of its 28,000 lights - claiming that it is saving £700,000 a year "without compromising road safety". Similarly, Essex County Council claims some £1.25 million in yearly savings through switching off 18,000 of its lights.
Meanwhile Somerset County Council said that a scheme to turn off 500 lights between 12.30am and 5am each morning would save £18,500 and 122 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year.
However, with more authorities reportedly considering following suit, Louise Ellman, chairperson of the Commons Transport Select Committee, said that she was "extremely concerned that financial pressures are leading to steps which can jeopardise people's lives and increase the number of injuries".
And AA president Edmund King told the Independent newspaper that "there is a fear" that the switch-offs could lead to an increase in accidents and crime in some areas.
"Lighting can improve safety for drivers, riders, and pedestrians, and deter street crime," he added.
"The public are in favour of street lighting as a way of improving road safety. Cyclists and pedestrians are more at risk on unlit streets."
Meanwhile, Nigel Parry from the Institution of Lighting Engineers pointed out that an alternative to turning off lights completely would be to use new technology that would allow councils to dim lights to around 50% of full brightness. Explaining that this would allow energy savings of up to 50%, he added that the solution is one where "everybody wins".
In its 2010 report on the state of the nation's street lighting, the institution estimates that powering the UK's 7.4 million street lights costs around £260 million each year.
In July the Highways Agency announced its latest switch-off of lighting on the motorway network. Lights on a stretch of the M6 between junctions 27 and 29 are now turned off between midnight and 5am each night, while similar measures have previously been implemented on the M4 near Bristol and on the M5 near Exeter.
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