Hartlepool LED street light scheme 'saves £1m'

Light-emitting diode (LED) units lose less energy as heat

Replacing Hartlepool's street lights with energy-efficient bulbs could cost about £1m less than expected.

The budget for fitting all 13,644 street lights with light-emitting diode (LED) units had been £5m, Hartlepool Borough Council said.

Neighbourhood services committee chair Marjorie James said the in-house team procured new units for £800,000 less.

Nearly 3,000 lamp-posts that are more than 30 years old could now be replaced using the spare cash, the council said.

"It should be noted that when informal discussions took place with potential private-sector providers their indicative price for a full streetlight replacement scheme was £6.8m," Ms James said.

LEDs produce more light for the amount of energy used than traditional bulbs, with less energy lost as heat.

The work is due to be completed by December next year.