ESSEX had one of the biggest spends in the UK on running expenses for street lights last year, figures have revealed.

According to new research by Smart Lighting Industries, Essex County Council ranks ninth out of UK authorities for most money spent.

In the year 2019/20 it spent £7,259,000 on running street lights, equal to £5 per person in the county.

In 2013, Essex County Council introduced part-night lighting across the county in a bid to save about £1 million a year.

At the moment, more than 70 per cent of the county’s 127,000 council-owned streetlights are off between 1am and 5am, Tuesday to Sunday and from 12am until 5am on Monday mornings.

In some districts councils have paid thousands of pounds to keep the lights on.

In 2015, Colchester Council offered to pay an extra £185,000 a year to have the borough’s streetlights on all night but the request was refused by then Highways boss Rodney Bass.

Birmingham topped the table with a spend of £23 million, Leeds was second with £20 million and Surrey third with £16 million.

Leeds and Surrey both also have part-night lighting schemes in place.

An Essex Highways spokesman said: “Essex is one of the biggest and busiest counties in England, with more roads and in excess of 127,000 street lights, making us one of the largest local street lighting authorities in the country. It is, therefore, not surprising that Essex is among the biggest spenders on street lighting.

“Even with more than 127,000 street lights, the cost per resident is very low compared to other councils, which indicates we run an efficient service at low cost to council tax payers in Essex.

“Part-night lighting is currently estimated to save £1.3 million per annum and has environmental benefits in reducing light pollution as well as cutting electricity use and CO2 pollution.”

The council is in the process of replacing older street lights with new LED technology.

The spokesman added: “We have already replaced in excess of 49,000 older street lights with new LED technology. This produces better light which is also more directional to cut light pollution.”