PLANS to save £14million by switching off streets lights will cost £6million to put into action, it has been revealed.

Essex County Council wants to turn off about 70 per cent of street lights in the county between midnight and 5am to cut costs and reduce carbon emissions.

To bring the new system into force the authority will have to spend millions installing new switches to allow the lights to be controlled remotely from a single location.

Key areas such as main road junctions and town centres will be exempt.

The county council has been running a pilot scheme in Maldon and Uttlesford since 2007, which it claimed caused minimal change to crime and road collision rates and has saved about £70,000 per year.

Tracey Chapman, councillor for highways, who is due to step down from the cabinet shortly, said: “We are investing £6million in the switch to a new Central Management System to deliver £14million of savings over 13 years.

“The system will bring a number of operational and efficiency benefits, enabling all Essex County Council-owned streetlights to be controlled remotely from a single location.

“It will also provide instant notification of any streetlight failure, which will mean faults can be repaired much more quickly. All Essex County Council-owned streetlights will be switched to the system.”