A CONTROVERSIAL £500,000 plan to switch off street lights and plunge parts of the county into darkness at night is set to hit Worcester in March, it has emerged.

Your Worcester News can also reveal how Worcestershire County Council wants to expand the scheme to save another £100,00 in energy costs - but will have to invest £400,000 of taxpayers' money upfront to do so.

Since April workers have been ripping out 1,000 street lights per month to replace them with special dimmers which go out from midnight to 6am.

It is targeting 17,000 street lamps within two years, and now says Worcester will be targeted from the spring.

The impending move into the city follows night-time blackouts in parts of Droitwich, Bewdley, Kidderminster, Bromsgrove and Redditch which the council insists has led to virtually no complaints so far.

Alongside that, it wants to expand the project by spending £400,000 on more energy efficient LED lights, saying it aims to replace as many street lamps as possible with more modern, lower cost ones by 2016.

That will save another £100,000 on energy costs.

There are 52,000 street lights and 8,000 illuminated road signs in Worcestershire, which until now cost taxpayers £2.4 million a year to operate.

The current strategy of keeping lights along “busy traffic routes” and main roads switched on will remain in place.

Councillor John Smith, the cabinet member for highways, said: “We are tying the work into our maintenance programme so when the workers go around to each one, this work is done.

“It’s been extremely successful so far, you get the odd comment here and there but it’s gone very well.”

The opposition Labour group has criticised the move into Worcester, saying it is concerned about people falling over on pavements.

Councillor Peter McDonald, Labour group leader, said: “Many more roads are to be plunged into darkness with this crazy scheme to save money by putting residents in the dark.

"Not only are residents now further at risk from criminals but with the state our pavements are in we need every bit of light to see where we are going.

"After years of neglect the county’s pavements are in a shocking state and this latest stupid and irresponsible act puts those having to go out at night at serious risk of injury."

Cllr Smith said in the areas implicated to far there was next to no negative feedback.

"We've had a few, but not many apart from Redditch," he said.

"When we move into Worcester we will get the councillors from each affected area together to explain it."

He added: "Not only has it delivered the required savings but also helps the county council achieve some of its energy reduction targets. 

"Residents in the Bewdley,  Kidderminster, Droitwich, Bromsgrove and Redditch areas can find out more information about where street lighting will be switched off by visiting our website (www.worcestershire.gov.uk/streetlighting).  

"The webpage includes interactive maps, which allows people to pinpoint which lights are planned to go part-night switch off.  Any comments on the plans can also be made online."

* Do you live in any of the areas where the lights have already been switched off at night? Have you noticed? Email te@worcesternews.co.uk or call 01905 742248.