STREET lights across North Yorkshire could be dimmed and even switched off in a bid to save cash.

A task group set up by North Yorkshire County Council to look at how the authority’s annual £1.5 million lighting budget can be trimmed and CO2 emissions reduced has recommended a string of options which could be put in place over the next four years.

Its report says street lighting which is no longer necessary to ensure road safety and crime reduction could be removed, although a full study of areas where this might happen would be carried out first.

The group also says “relatively cheap and readily available” technology can be used to turn lights off for part of the night, possibly between midnight and 5am, and that this approach could be used in car parks, bus stations, industrial estates, cycle routes and footpaths, as well as in residential areas and minor roads.

Their findings also say half the street lights operated by the council could be converted to enable them to be dimmed for specific periods, such as outside rush-hour times.

They have also recommended setting up a project board to implement the proposals, if they are approved by the council’s executive, and a consultation plan so residents can air their views.

Scrutiny team leader Bryon Hunter said in the report: “There are increasing pressures on local authorities to make savings in energy consumption and service costs.

“The council has a target to reduce its carbon footprint by 20 per cent by 2015 and the current budget position has also meant it looks more closely at the best use of resources. Street lighting provision is one service area in which various local authorities have made significant energy and cost savings.”

The group has also proposed removing some unnecessary lights, only keeping some on for part of the night and changing the timings and illumination levels of others along the A63 Selby bypass. The report will go before the council’s transport, economy and environment overview and scrutiny committee next week.

Trials of dimmed street lighting in three areas of York were carried out several years ago, when introducing remote-controlled lights was also looked at.