Poole council to spend £10m on LED street lighting

More than £10m is to be spent on replacing street lights in a town in Dorset.

The Borough of Poole Council has approved plans to install energy-efficient LED street lighting across the town.

About 17,420 lights will be replaced over the next six years.

The council said the plans would improve street lighting, reduce safety risks and cut energy costs and carbon consumption.

'£20m saving'

The council said energy costs for its street lighting had more than doubled in the last 10 years.

It said street lighting accounted for about a quarter of its entire carbon footprint.

By replacing the existing lights, the council estimates it will save about £20m in energy costs over the next 30 years.

Councillors have approved borrowing to meet the cost of the replacements, which is estimated to be about £10.4 million.

Proposals for street lights to be automatically switched off between midnight and 6:00 BST will no longer go ahead.

Instead, the new lights will remain switched on throughout the night in all areas and dimmed during hours when highway use is limited.