Derbyshire to turn off 40,000 street lights at night

About 40,000 rural street lights in Derbyshire are to be switched off after midnight to help cut carbon emissions.

The county council move is part of a scheme to save about £400,000 a year in energy bills.

The Conservative-led council said 69% of those surveyed supported the scheme, but a Labour spokesman said opposition was still high.

The authority said lights would not be turned off in town centres.

A total of 842 people responded to the survey on plans to turn off almost half of the county's rural street lights between midnight and 05:00.

'Main offenders'

But Labour spokesman Helen Clark, from Erewash, said: "It is a toxic cocktail - cutting street lights at the same time as cuts to frontline policing - it makes people feel unsafe."

In November a candlelight vigil was held in Borrowash to oppose the cuts.

Simon Spencer, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "We're committed to cutting our carbon emissions by 25% by 2014/15 and street lighting is one of the main offenders."

The council will carry out local risk assessments before the change is made.