Lincoln's MP calls for every second street light to be left on overnight

Karl McCartney said the measures would help to address safety concerns among students and residents

The MP for Lincoln is calling for street lights in the city to be kept on for longer to address safety concerns among students and residents.

Some of the city's street lights are currently switched off at midnight, but Conservative MP Karl McCartney is campaigning for every second light to be left on overnight.

He said some students and residents were afraid to walk home in the dark.

County council bosses said large parts of the city centre were lit overnight.

Mr McCartney said: "Lincoln is returning to being a 24-hour city and it is not just students who are out late at night, but also various residents too.

"It is one of the government's priorities to ensure that both women, girls, men, and boys are safe at night.

"Having street lights turned off in our city centre will certainly not do that," he said.

Mr McCartney is calling for every second street light to be left on overnight

Mr McCartney said he had written to Lincolnshire County Council to request every second street light is "lit during the early morning hours through to daylight".

"This is in support of requests from the local universities," he added.

In response, Richard Fenwick, head of highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "We haven't got any plans to make sweeping changes to our policy."

However, he said large parts of the city centre were already lit overnight, along with areas with a high proportion of student accommodation.

Mr Fenwick said the authority would also consider changes at the request of the police.

A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said: "We've previously found that night-time lighting does not have an impact on crime levels."

However, they said it was a priority "that people feel safe when travelling through Lincoln - at any time of day or night".

Zuzanna Romanska, from Lincoln's student union, said she supported the idea but was "sceptical" about whether anything would change

Zuzanna Romanska, 25, vice president of wellbeing and community at the University of Lincoln's student union, welcomed the proposals, but said she was "sceptical" about whether anything would change.

"We have had a long history of students advocating for this," she said.

"On Wednesday, we have our student night out and when students want to go home it is pitch black.

"When I work the event, I drive afterwards," she added.

Lincolnshire Police is part of an initiative called StreetSafe which allows people to report safety concerns in public places, including poorly lit streets.