Council say "Part-night" lighting scheme - implemented in Thornbury in 2011 – is on track

Measures to conserve energy by switching off street lights between midnight and 5am have reduced South Gloucestershire's annual carbon emissions by 12 per cent and are already saving approximately £90,000 in energy costs each year say the council.

About 6,000 of the district's 29,500 street lights have been switched to part night operation since the scheme was adopted by the council in 2008.

The scheme was implemented in Thornbury in January 2011.

By the time the scheme is fully implemented in October this year, about 60 per cent of the district's street lights, or approximately 20,000 lights, will have been switched to part night operation.

Once fully implemented, the scheme is hoped to reduce the district's carbon emissions by a total of 2,000 tonnes a year – equivalent to the annual emissions of approximately 900 cars.

It is also expected to reduce the council's lighting-related energy bills by up to £250,000, or about a fifth of its total street lighting energy costs.

Head of StreetCare Mark King said: "Part-night lighting has been introduced gradually and with great care since the policy was first adopted with cross-party support in 2008.

"The results to date show that part night lighting is working well in South Gloucestershire and we look forward to completing implementation of the scheme later this year."

Flickr.com image by Sheffield Tiger