EXMOUTH, Budleigh Salterton and Woodbury are to have their street lighting cut in a bid to reduce carbon and save money.

EXMOUTH, Budleigh Salterton and Woodbury are to have their street lighting cut in a bid to reduce carbon and save money.

Devon County Council plans to reduce the energy across the region of almost 9,000 street lights over the next six months.

As part of its carbon reduction programme, the county council will phase in part-time lighting in residential areas in Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton and Woodbury.

The council said it will retain main road and town centre lighting, but it plans to dim lighting wherever possible.

Some all-night street lights will now be lit between dusk and 12.30am then switched off until 5.30am before coming on again until dawn.

The council said the move is a cost-saving measure and follows in the footsteps of the Highways Agency turning off non-essential street lighting.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: "The county council is no different from anyone else - we're also facing the cost of rising energy bills and we're trying to reduce our emissions.

"That's why it's necessary to reduce our street lighting energy consumption and the money saved can be re-invested in further measures to reduce our carbon footprint.

"By switching lights off in mainly residential areas between 12.30am and 5.30am, and by dimming all other lighting, energy consumption, carbon emissions and energy costs are expected to reduce by a third by the end of the programme.

"Let's not forget that as well as the savings of carbon and money, this new policy will also reduce light pollution or sky glow, so it will provide a better view of the night sky."

The scheme will affect 8,700 street lights across Devon and is expected to begin from now and take until April 2010 to complete.

The council said the conversion of lighting from all-night to part-night operations will be carried out over a five-year programme across the county.

The aim is to maintain and upgrade existing lighting while keeping cost to a minimum.

Devon County Council is also working with Devon and Cornwall Police on the programme to ensure that considerations of crime, disorder and road safety in residential areas are taken into account during the decision-making process.

It is estimated that part-night lighting could save the county up to 4,000 tonnes of CO2, reduce the present energy bill by �450,000 and conform to government targets.

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