TENDRING’S street lights will be staying on for the time being.

Essex County Council has now postponed plans to turn off 70 per cent of the district’s lights between midnight and 5am from January 1.

A new date for the controversial move has yet to be announced.

Mike Vaughan-Chatfield, Tendring Neighbourhood Watch chairman, welcomed the delay, saying it gave local people more time to give their views on the money-saving scheme.

He added: “People have a right to feel safe wherever they go, and I don’t think turning off the lights would help that.”

After trial schemes in Maldon and Uttlesford districts, County Hall insists there has been no negative impact on crime figures.

Lights have now gone off in Braintree, Chelmsford and Colchester as well.

However Mr Vaughan-Chatfield said the success of trials in other areas did not mean it would work in Tendring.

He added: “You have to treat each individual area on its own merit. You have to factor in social problems such as drugs and crime statistics.

“The county council take us as gullible. It should give us more credibility.”

Under the proposals, lights would stay on in town centres, at key road junctions and accident blackspots.

Maps showing the affected areas will be published by the county council two weeks before the lights go out.

A County Hall spokesman said: “The part-night lighting maps for Tendring are being finalised. They will be online in early January prior to implementation.”