Plan To Turn Off 17,000 Street Lights in Worcestershire Goes Ahead

A decision to switch off 17,000 street lights across Worcestershire has been given the green light by politicians today.

The county council’s Conservative cabinet has agreed that two out of every three lights should be switched off – despite calls to go further. The council operates 52,000 lights but wants to save £500,000 a year on carbon emissions. The total bill for lighting across Worcestershire currently costs taxpayers £2.6 million a year.

As from April, workers will start taking out 1,000 lights a month and will replace them with special timers that go out from midnight to 6am.  Read more.

Editor’s Note:  Normally we think it is better to dim than to shut off  completely.  Other cities within the UK have had negative experiences with streets that are in complete darkness. See this story about protests at switch-offs following the death of soldier Edward Heal and this story raising concerns among early morning workers and care-givers.

07 Feb