Plans to turn off some streetlights at 10pm have been abandoned by Lincolnshire County Council, following public concerns over safety.

The council had planned to turn off some lights in residential areas at 10pm in a bid to save £1.7m a year. However, it will now leave all ‘part-night’ lights on until midnight and will look into other ways of saving the money.

Cllr Richard Davies, the council’s executive member for highways and transport, said: ‘Streetlights are expensive, and, frankly, many of them do not need to be on during the small hours of the morning - all they are doing is burning taxpayers’ money.

‘The evidence shows that these particular lights can be turned off for part of the night without jeopardising people’s safety. And by saving money in this way, we can protect other vital areas, like the pothole budget.’

He added: ‘Of course, this change does mean we’ll save less and that money will have to be found elsewhere, which is something we’re going to have to look at.’