Most street lights turned off at night in Shropshire - but Telford to stay illuminated

Lights have been converted to automatically turn off at midnight across the county before coming back on again at 5am. The switch-off has been organised by Shropshire Council as part of a drive to save money.

Some 12,500 of the 18,500 street lights owned by the council now work under the new part-night lighting system, according to new information.

The move cost the council £250,000 over four years – but now all the lights have been switched off it should save £125,000 a year in energy costs.

Dangerous road junctions, areas covered by CCTV and sheltered housing were unaffected by the changes. Fears had been raised by communities across the county that the move would lead to an increase in anti-social behaviour and crime.

But Simon Jones, Shropshire Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said national research showed no link between part-night lighting and an increase in crime or traffic accidents.

He said: "We carried out the conversions over a three-year period.

"Of the nearly 20,000 lights, we have about 12,500 that have been converted to part-night lighting, while the rest remain at dusk to dawn."

But in Telford only 789 out of 23,196 street lights are switched off from midnight to 5.30am and there are no plans to expand the scheme.

Telford & Wrekin Council spokeswoman Emily Taylor said: "The only lights we switch off are the ones on the 'ring' formed by the A442, Horsehay Bypass, Lawley Drive and Whitchurch Drive. These are strategic traffic routes and are off from midnight, but interchanges are still lit.

"Over the last couple of years we've invested in lower energy lighting for many of our highway lights and these have variable lighting levels but we have no plans for further switch-offs."

Dangerous road junctions, areas covered by CCTV and sheltered housing were unaffected by the changes implemented by Shropshire Council.

Pensioners living in Bridgnorth sounded the alarm bells and a petition was even launched in Oswestry and Market Drayton to try and get the decision by Shropshire Council overturned.

Campaigners claimed part night lighting was putting people in danger, with people walking home in the dark after nights out in pubs and clubs.

Councillor Peter Cherrington, Mayor of Oswestry, said it seemed the original fears had been allayed. But he added the Shropshire Council, if it found enough money, could also convert its street lights to more energy-efficient bulbs and keep them on during the night, saving the same amount of money as switching them off.

He said: "The town council converted100 of the lights owned by the town council to more efficient bulbs and we've just agreed to change the remaining 400.

"We've had no real problems with lights that have been switched off. There was a lot of fear crime would rise but we haven't seen anything, nothing catastrophic anyway.

"Perhaps Shropshire Council could look at converting its lights but it wouldn't be as easy because they own thousands rather than hundreds and you have to wait three to five years before any financial benefits are seen."

Anne Wilson, clerk of Bridgnorth Town Council, said: "We had a few concerns raised by senior citizens living in Greenfields but they were the only comments and we've heard nothing since."

Simon Jones, Shropshire Council cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said national research showed no link between part night lighting and an increase in crime or traffic accidents.

He said: "Our roll-out of part night lighting has been completed. We ran a consultation for more than 12 months with a wide number of groups, undertook risk assessments and developed suitable criteria for determining whether lights should remain in dusk to dawn operation, or if they could be converted to part night lighting.

"There was a national news release on Wednesday following research into part night lighting," he said. "It indicates that there is no correlation between part night lighting and an increase in crime or traffic accidents. Shropshire Council assisted with that research and provided data."