CONCERNED councillors are calling for Essex’s streetlights to be switched back on overnight following the death of Sarah Everard.

Miss Everard, 33, was killed and her body dumped in woodland in Kent after she walked home across Clapham Common in London.

It unleashed a wave of calls from women across the UK calling for the streets to be made safer.

Essex County Council’s Labour group wants County Hall bosses to reverse it’s policy of switching off street lights between 1am and 5am.

The Tory-run council reduced streetlighting hours in 2014 in a bid to save money and carbon emissions.

Harwich councillor Ivan Henderson has asked Kevin Bentley, cabinet member for highways, to reconsidering street lighting across Essex.

Mr Henderson said: “The Labour Group has always been against this proposal, feeling it would lead to a rise in crime and antisocial behaviour and was a deadly mix with huge cuts to our police.

“NHS and key workers, who are much more likely to work shifts, are disproportionately affected by this policy, while they keep the country running, something we raised in 2014 when this policy was decided.

“The case of Sarah Everard has highlighted the issue of safety and led to calls from residents for better lighting.

“This in turn has led the government to introduce funding for safer lighting.

“At the same time with our LED programme under way surely we are now making savings allowing us to keep Essex lit and safe all night.”

Gazette:

Sarah Everard was killed and her body dumped in woodland in Kent​. Picture: Family Handout/PA

Louise McKinlay, Essex County Council’s cabinet member for children and families, said: “Everyone in this country has been affected deeply by the tragic death of Sarah Everard in South London and it has highlighted some very serious and real issues facing women in particular.

“We take the safety of all of our residents very seriously and it is simply not acceptable that in today’s society, women feel they cannot move around freely and without fear.

“Whether they are in our busiest towns or our most rural of hamlets, we want to do all that we can to understand and address these concerns in the right way.

“We will set up an advisory board reaching out to women’s groups, support organisations, our partners and the Police to begin conversations, to better understand their views and to look at what we can do to address these important issues.

“Street lighting will form a part of this debate but there is more to consider.”

PC Wayne Couzens, 48, is accused of snatching Miss Everard as she walked home from a friend’s flat on March 3.

The officer made his first appearance at the Old Bailey by video link from Belmarsh top security jail in South London on Tuesday.