Plan to switch off street lights in early hours

Street lights are to be turned off or dimmed in Cornwall to help cut emissions

Street lights in Cornwall are to be turned off or dimmed during the early morning as part of a cost-saving and emissions reduction plan.

Cornwall Council said street lights would be turned off or dimmed between the hours of 00:00 and 05:00 if it is safe to do so.

It said the measure would be introduced alongside an ongoing plan to upgrade more than 55,000 street lights with LED fittings by 2025.

The authority said it would begin turning off or dimming street lights in some areas from next week.

Lighting would remain in certain locations throughout the night for safety reasons, it added.

Those areas include traffic junctions, subways, pedestrian crossings, parts of town centres, areas with CCTV equipment, and entrances to hospitals and police stations.

The authority added other councils had not seen an increase in crime or road accidents when adopting similar schemes.

Martyn Alvey, the council's portfolio holder for climate change, said the street light network made up about a third of the council's total emissions.

He said: "Carbon reduction is a primary driver for taking action to replace streetlights and turn them off or dim them when appropriate.

"We are acting to cut carbon emissions, reduce energy use, reduce light pollution to help nature recovery, as well as help offset the increase in energy prices, as we take another step towards reaching our carbon neutral goal.”