Concerns raised over unlit streets in Ludlow

Councillors in Ludlow are calling for residents' views on the turning off of street lights for part of the night after burglary victims said the darkness after midnight had made it easier for thieves to break into their house.

Ludlow Neighbourhood Watch has also revealed some "unknown people" were seen looking into vehicles in the Dodmore Lane area nearby last week.

Andy Boddington, Shropshire councillor for Ludlow North, who is calling for residents' views as a part of a town-wide survey, said the issue was complex, with 14 years of data from 62 local authorities suggesting "we are as safe with dimmed or part-night lights as we are lights that blaze all night".

He said: "This is something of a dilemma for councillors. Turning

lights off makes people more fearful, less confident about going out, walking home or leaving their home unattended. That is a serious issue.

"It is not part of our role as councillors to create an environment where people feel less safe."

Two-thirds of street lights in Shropshire are now switched off between midnight and 5am, around 12,500 of the 18,500 lights owned by the council, though dangerous road junctions, areas covered by CCTV and sheltered housing remain lit throughout the night.

The move to part-night lighting, as it is called, began in 2012 and is expected to save the authority £125,000 a year in energy costs, as well as cutting carbon emissions and minimising light pollution.

But, Councillor Boddington said, residents had told him they felt less safe even inside their homes when the lights were out.

Commenting on Ludlow Neighbourhood Watch facebook site, taxi driver Kristina Owen agreed, saying: "Dodmore, for instance, is like driving down a country lane when the lights are out.

"It's ridiculous especially on a weekend night when merry people walk in the roads as well."