Cash-strapped councils aiming to cut their rising energy bills by switching off streetlights are being warned to think again.
Guidance about to be issued to highway authorities on managing the high and rising cost of electricity will emphasise the legal and safety risks – and costs – of decommissioning street lamps.
The advice will have the backing of the UK Lighting Board, County Surveyors’ Society and Institution of Lighting Engineers It comes as Essex, Buckinghamshire, and other councils consider cost-saving measures.
‘People have to be mindful about the implications of turning lights off and the costs of doing it,’ said Roger Elphick, of CSS, who chairs the Lighting Board.
Columns without lights presented a dangerous obstruction in the highway, he warned. Removing columns and disconnecting the supply would involve additional costs. Reducing street lighting could also have serious legal implications.
‘This would be a trend that would cause us great concern,’ said David Coatham of the ILE. The guide would recommend that authorities invest to save rather than switch off lights.
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