Install LED Outdoor Lighting Places Surrounding Areas to Increase Security and Save Money

New lighting is being trialled on Parker's Piece, Cambridge, for a short period after residents claimed that it was unsafe after dark.

Bollards with new bulbs have been fitted on the path between the central column known as Reality Checkpoint and Melbourne Place.

They will initially be in place for four weeks to see if visibility can be improved without spoiling the beauty of the area at night.

Also included in the trial is one illuminated bollard that rises out of the ground when it gets dark and then retracts in the morning once it is light.

If residents get behind the lights then they will be fitted on all of the paths at a cost of £30,000.

If the council decides to use LED lighting for the paths then they could easily make the necessary energy savings on the illuminations in the long run.

An increasing number of homeowners are looking towards the energy-efficient ceiling spotlights in their houses in order to save money, also.

This move from Cambridge City Council comes after a number of attacks in the park and students have also raised concerns about assaults and indecent exposures in the past, the Cambridge News reports.

Leader of the authority Tim Bick told the news provider that the trial would be useful as it is difficult to make a judgement about the merits of certain lighting without seeing it in the flesh.

"Parker's Piece is a major thoroughfare in the heart of the city and we would like people to feel safer using it after dark," he added.

"There have been a number of incidents reported to the police in the hours of darkness and many people, including student groups, have asked for us to do something to make it less of a place of concealment."

The Liquid nightclub in Gloucester recently revealed it was installing LED outdoor lights in the surrounding areas of its premises to increase security and save money.