STREET lights in Hampshire will not be switched off, despite recent media speculation about local councils turning off lights to save money. Hampshire County Council is replacing or upgrading all 150,000 street lights in a multimillion pound 25-year project.

The new street lights will result in significant energy savings and reduced carbon emissions. The project also includes introducing remote monitoring technology to enable the lights to be dimmed and the council council's policy presently is to introduce a 25 per cent dimming between 12 midnight and 5am when the new lighting is in place in each area. This follows trials completed earlier to find the best options. The award-winning project will have a wide range of benefits, including less light pollution and clearer night skies, targeted lighting in areas of high crime, safer streets and a minimum target reduction of 15 per cent energy consumption over the first five years .

This is due to the replacement of the old orange sodium lamps with energy efficient white 'natural' lighting which is directed downwards on to roads and pavements which also reduces light pollution, meaning the night skies are clearer.