Safety risk as councils dim or switch off a quarter of street lights

Three-quarters of councils are economising on street lighting, according to a Labour Party survey

One-quarter of street lights across England have been turned off or dimmed by councils to save money on energy bills, raising fears that public safety is being put at risk.

A survey of local authorities found that 24 per cent of lights have been switched off or turned down – compared with 2.6 per cent in 2010.

Three-quarters of councils are economising on street lighting, the Labour Party survey also found. Surrey Council reported that it was dimming 99 per cent of its lights, while Essex said it had turned off 83 per cent of lights.

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