PRESSURE from residents and councillors has led the council to think again over plans to turn street lights off between midnight and 5am.

The trial had been scheduled to begin in a selection of streets this week. But now, in response to public concern, the council has dropped the proposals.

Instead of turning the lights off entirely, they will now be dimmed to varying degrees between 10pm and 5am.

The move will deliver a cost saving on the council’s energy bill while also ensuring that the security and reassurance provided by having some degree of street lighting is maintained.

The announcement was made at Wednesday’s meeting of the StreetSmart, highways and communities overview and scrutiny committee.

The committee heard from Stratton parish councillor Barrie Jennings, who warned of the strength of feeling in the community at the proposals.

“How are SBC going to alleviate the anxiety of the many old and vulnerable residents who are woken every night by noise but are not able to see what is going on in the darkness?” asked Coun Jennings.

“Residents don’t understand how the council consider cutting lighting at a time when crime and burglaries are on the rise and when council tax is going up.

“I met one lady, living with her young daughter and her grandmother, who told me that her house had been burgled three times in ten years. Her greenhouse has been smashed at night by a wrought iron gate being thrown over her fence.”

“She took me into her garden and showed me her fence which had two holes smashed into it, presumably punched or kicked, by hooligans.”

Keith Williams, the cabinet member for StreetSmart, said the council had taken the public feedback onboard when coming to its decision.

“We’ve had extensive feedback from ward councillors, parish councillors and residents,” said Coun Williams.

“No street lights will be being turned off but dimming is going to go ahead.

“We’ll have the lights on at full brightness until about 10pm, then there’s a 50 per cent reduction from 10pm until 12pm, then they will run at 20 per cent of their output between 12pm and 5am.

“The decision is based on the feedback and the concerns that have been raised but also the payback period – if all of the lights to be included in the trial had been turned off it would have been in the region of two to three years to recover the cost.”

Coun Kevin Parry (Con - Covingham and Nythe) praised the StreetSmart department for acknowledging the concerns of residents and councillors in deciding to change course.