Lights go out to save power cost

Leicestershire County Council said switching off lights across the county would also reduce CO2 emissions by 106 tonnes in the first 12 months.

And as the scheme grows, it will cut costs by 700,000 each year and carbon emissions by 3,000 tonnes, officials said.

The council launched the project 100 days ago; since then the plug has been pulled on 60 lights and another 1,300 village lamps have been switched off late at night.

Over the next few months around 1,000 more lights across Leicestershire will be turned off and another 28 villages are set to get involved in part-night lighting.

Mike Preston, county council cabinet member for climate action, said: "It makes sense to dim lights beside main roads and switch off others that aren't needed."