Street lighting in Cheshire West and Chester is getting a technological and environmentally-friendly makeover.

More than 24,000 lamps will be upgraded during a £5.1 million programme of work scheduled to be completed in September 2018.

Lighting in residential areas will be changed from sodium lamps to more energy efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lights across the borough.

Cabinet Member for Environment, councillor Karen Shore, said: “The key objective of our LED replacement programme is to reduce carbon emissions and make savings on energy consumption costs.

“It is hoped the new LED lights will achieve savings of around 40% on our energy consumption.

“Also most current lamps in the borough have a guaranteed life of three years. The LED technology we are using has manufacturers’ warranties for 12 years and could last as long as 20 years.”

Contractor fitting LED light in Winsford
Contractor fitting LED light in Winsford

The programme has already begun in Winsford and Northwich and is now set to move into Chester and Ellesmere Port.

The schedule is based on the age of the current lamps, which are usually replaced on a cyclical programme every three years.

“After your street lights are upgraded, you may notice they are a different colour, a white light rather than orange light, which allows colours to be more easily identified during the night time,” Cllr Shore said.

“You may also notice that the light is now focused downwards rather than spilling into surrounding gardens or driveways.”

Cheshire West and Chester Council has about 50,000 street lights in total and this scheme will replace existing lighting units in residential areas.

It is estimated that the programme will cost about £5.1 million.