Weymouth £200k seafront light system approved

An artist's impression of how the new lights could look

A new £200,000 seafront lighting scheme for Weymouth has been approved by councillors.

Computer-controlled LED strips will be attached to 31 lampposts on the promenade between the old pier and the Pavilion.

They will replace the £450,000 laser lights installed for the 2012 Olympics.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council's planning committee approved the plans and installation is expected to be complete by late spring 2019.

Objectors to the scheme said the lights would spoil the Georgian aspect of the town with some residents urging the council to reinstate the fairy lights that decorated the Esplanade since the 1950s.

Laser beams of light are currently emitted from columns across the beach and into the sea

In 2012, seven 14 metre-high lasers were installed to replace the fairy lights which, at £8,000 a year, had become too expensive to run and maintain.

The latest scheme will be part-funded with a £157,000 government grant and the cost of maintenance and running the lights over their 20-year lifespan is estimated at £56,500.