Council to save £14k by turning street lights off

Hertfordshire County Council will turn street lights off later this month

A council says it hopes to save £14,000 in annual energy costs by switching off some streetlights overnight.

Hertfordshire County Council currently runs lights on a full night setting, which means they are dimmed by 25% between 23:00 and 06:00.

Later this month they will swap to part night lighting, which means they will dim between 21:00 and 23:00 before being switched off until 05:00 and staying on until dawn.

A total of 1,293 street lights across the county will be affected by the change.

Stephen Giles-Medhurst, executive member for highways, said: "These changes are about aligning our streetlighting with agreed policy to ensure energy is used responsibly.

"We're keeping safety at the heart of our approach, with lights at key locations remaining on all night.

"It's a small change with a meaningful impact, for our environment, and for our budget."

Light settings can be changed without the council having to physically replace them.

Changes will take place on roads maintained by the council and private roads with public rights of way.

The only district not to be affected by the changes is St Albans, which already uses part night lights.