AROUND 2,000 street lights will be switched off in Huddersfield in the early hours of every morning.
From this week onwards every ward in Kirklees will see a loss of light between midnight and 5am as part of a trial.
Clr Cathy Scott, Cabinet member for Streetscene, said it will cut the energy costs of every light by 40%, saving tens of thousands of pounds a year.
She said the council’s current annual street lighting energy bill was £1.8m and she predicts the figure will rise to around £2.9m by 2015 if nothing is done.
Clr Scott said: “The lights involved have been carefully chosen so that the safety of motorists and pedestrians will not be compromised.”
Streets lights and footpath lights will be included in the part-night trial.
Kirklees began the scheme last night in Dewsbury East and Cleckheaton council wards.
The phased trial is as follows:
February 11: Holme Valley South and Almondbury.
February 18: Newsome and Liversedge & Gomersal.
February 25:Kirkburton and Golcar.
March 4: Dalton, Crosland Moor & Netherton.
March 11: Holme Valley North and Batley West.
March 18: Heckmondwike and Dewsbury South.
March 25: Colne Valley, Birstall & Birkenshaw and Dewsbury West.
April 1: Batley East, Ashbrow and Denby Dale.
April 8: Greenhead, Lindley and Mirfield.
The trial will affect nearly 4% of the 51,000 street lights in Kirklees and will take around 10 weeks to complete the implementation.
The council says busy roads will remain illuminated.
Other roads unaffected include roads with a potential hazard or on roads with traffic-calming schemes.
Roads with above average night time road casualties will remain lit, as will places covered by police or council CCTV equipment.
Places with a high number of vulnerable people, sheltered housing and students are also unaffected.
It’s part of a wider scheme to save costs associated with lighting streets and bollards.
Last year the Cabinet put £995,000 into funding to allow the replacement of around 200 high-costs street lights with energy-efficient models.
All of the schemes will save the council around £90,000 per year.
To see if your road will lose light visit www.kirklees.gov.uk/partnight, click on the online fault reporting page and put your postcode in. If it shows a blue circle your street lights will be switched off as part of the trial.
