Families barely notice dimmed street lights

Residents have hardly noticed when street lights have been dimmed under a pilot scheme in Staffordshire which could pave the way for permanent changes, the county council leader said today.

Philip Atkins made the claim as he revealed cost-cutting moves to dim or switch off lights overnight could be rolled out in the next couple of months. Bosses want to slash the £9 million annual bill they spend on 107,000 street lights, and a consultation on the proposals is ongoing.

Officers will draw up a detailed report which will be presented to council chiefs this summer.

Councillor Atkins said today: "There are areas where people want street lights switching off – such as when they're right outside homes – and that's a matter community safety officers are looking at. There is a possibility we could turn some lights off if the locals so wish.

"What we have found is that where dimming has already taken place as part of the pilot, people have hardly noticed.

"The dimming technology we have got lowers the power consumption, but that is one of several options. The key thing is the consultation has not finished yet – we are taking a sensible approach to this."

The location of the pilot project in the county has not been revealed.

Councillor Atkins added: "I would imagine a decision will be taken at some point over the next couple of months."

Elsewhere in the Midlands, Walsall Council is also considering making savings on its £4.4m annual bill on electricity and maintenance. The council previously turned down the lights on Aldridge Road for a month.

Wolverhampton Council turned down lights on the Rakegate estate, dimming them to 40 per cent of their full power at 12-6am. The pilot was introduced in October.