Residents of the East Sussex town of Battle have been invited to give their views on proposals that would see streetlights switched off during the night.
Battle Town Council wants to power down its lighting between midnight and 05:30 in order to cut what it believes will be a significant sum from its energy costs, the Rye and Battle Observer reports.
It comes at a time when local authorities up and down the country are trying to slash their budgets to help them deal with government cutbacks.
Worries have been raised about road safety and crime when streetlights are off, so local people have been asked to attend a meeting on February 25th at The Almonry to air their views and hear exactly what the plans would entail.
"Potential concerns about increases in crime and car accidents were covered in the review and there is no evidence to suggest that reductions in street lighting would have a worsening effect in these respects," a statement from Battle Town Council said.
East Sussex County Council also wants to see streetlights switched off in Rye in the early hours of each morning to save energy at a time when fewer residents will need to use the roads and footpaths.
However, plans like these have not always run smoothly. Last month, politicians in Watford criticised Hertfordshire County Council for switching off streetlights on potentially hazardous roads, yet keeping road signs illuminated, the Watford Observer reported.
One way around this could be to install LED lighting along roads that present a danger in the dark, as these use significantly less energy that traditional bulbs and so could be left on all night without running up a big bill.
For homeowners in locations that have already had their streetlights switched off, LED outdoor wall lights could prove very useful during dark evenings.
