Switching off street lights during the night would help moths and other nocturnal pollinators, new research has found.

The study, led by experts from Newcastle and York universities, revealed that night-lighting attracts moths away from plants so they spend less time pollinating.

However, it found that there was no difference in pollination success between part-night lighting and full darkness. They found that regardless of the type of light, full-night light caused the greatest ecological disruption.

Dr Darren Evans, Reader in Ecology and Conservation at Newcastle University, said: ‘We know that light pollution significantly alters moth activity and this in turn is disrupting their role as pollinators.

‘But what our study showed was that while full-night lighting caused significant ecological disruption, part-night lighting did not appear to have any strong effect on pollination success or quality.’