Towns left in dark by £340m ‘green’ lights

TAXPAYERS are facing a bill of hundreds of millions of pounds for new ‘greener’ street lamps – despite concerns that they do not throw out enough light.

More than one in four of Scotland’s traditional sodium street lights will have been replaced by environmentally-friendly LED (light-emitting diode) alternatives by next April.

By 2021, the majority of Scotland’s 900,000 lamp-posts will be fitted with energy-saving bulbs, which emit white light rather than the familiar orange glow.

Over the next five years, councils will spend up to £337 million on the scheme, although the investment could save money in the future by cutting energy bills.

But there are concerns that the lamps cast light over a smaller area than the older ones, leaving dark spaces between each post.

Around £82 million has already been spent by Scots councils on replacing 125,000 sodium lights, with the number of LEDs expected to double in the next year.

The roll-out is being spearheaded by Scottish Government development quango the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), which claims LEDs can reduce energy consumption by more than 50 per cent.

SFT associate director Lindsay McGregor said: ‘We have demonstrated to councils how short the payback period can be when they invest in LEDs – in many cases it can be just a few years.

‘With support from the Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland, £82 million has already been invested over the last three years and all of Scotland’s councils are at various stages of installing energy efficient lights.’

Light from LEDs does not spread in the same way as that produced by sodium bulbs. While some people have welcomed a reduction in ‘light pollution’, others have raised safety concerns.

The new bulbs allow different settings, meaning some councils could dim them down at certain times to save money.

Dumfries and Galloway, West Dunbartonshire and Stirling are the council areas with the highest proportions of LED lights.

The biggest individual investment will be in South Lanarkshire, which aims to install nearly 40,000 new bulbs by April 2017.

In Edinburgh, nearly 30,000 LED lights will be installed by next April, following a trial in parts of the city. However, residents in one trial area, Currie in the west of the city, have raised concerns. Allister McKillop, of Currie Community Council, said: ‘We have had a number of complaints because, although the lighting is very bright, it emits a very narrow sear of light, so you quickly go from light to dark.

‘Some people have said it is great that they are no longer streaming light into their gardens or front rooms but others have complained about safety – particularly regarding women, children or the elderly – because people could easily be hiding in the dark areas.’

Gordon Mackay, head of roads at South Lanarkshire Council, said: ‘We are delighted that figures show we have installed the most LEDs in Scotland. The use of more efficient LEDs, which focus light on roads and pavements, will help the council to reduce energy consumption, together with the associated carbon emissions, by some 50 per cent.’

‘People complained about safety’