Street lights could be dimmed across borough

Residential streets’ lights could be lit to half their brightness between dusk and 22:00

Street lights in Slough could be dimmed as part of cost-saving plans that are set to be approved by council leaders.

Residential streets’ lights could be lit to half their brightness between dusk and 22:00, 40% between 22:00 and midnight and 30% from midnight to dawn.

Slough Borough Council said the change would be “unnoticed by most people” and would help save up to £112,000 a year in energy costs.

It ran trials across residential areas in 17 different parts of the borough from February 2023 and the plan is set to be confirmed on Monday.

At the start of the trials, residents said they feared reduced lighting could lead to an increase in crime, but the council said it received no complaints while they were taking place.

All street lights in Slough are currently lit at 70% of their capacity on all roads from dusk to dawn.

The council said energy costs to power its 11,600 street lights shot up during 2022/23.

It said it spent £345,000 and £380,000 on powering lights in 2020/21 and 2021/22 respectively.

But that jumped to £966,000 in 2022/23 and it paid £960,000 in 2023/24.

West Berkshire Council has also said it could switch off its street lights as part of a raft of measures to save money.