Some street lights in the Dover district will be switched off between midnight and 5.30am from tonight.

This is part of Kent County Council’s bid to save about £1 million a year on energy bills, help to protect the environment and reduce light pollution.

The scheme, called part-night lighting, will involve about 70,000 street lights in Kent.

The county council website reads: “Part-night lighting means some lights will be turned off between midnight and 5:30am (1am and 6:30am during British Summer time) in selected areas.”

“We are working with the police, vulnerable groups and using consultation feedback to identify which street lights can be considered for part-night lighting.”

On the KCC website, people can type in their postcode to see if their road is affected by the changes.

Karen Colyer of Lenacre Lane, Dover, said: “I have big concerns about the lights going off in Whitfield Hill. They have been off for a while but it is still used nightly by people, walking to or from work in the dark.

“I think to turn all the lights off on this section of road is very short-sighted as far as safety goes.

“Why not turn off half the lights on the by-passes? That would make more sense especially late at night when the roads are hardly used.”

“Why not turn off half the lights on the by-passes? That would make more sense especially late at night when the roads are hardly used.” - Karen Colyer

Bill Beer of Manor Road, Dover, added: “Towns across the country that have already done trials have actually reported either no increase, or a slight decrease, in crime levels. As they say, even criminals need light.

“When I was young, the only street lights that stayed on after midnight were those on the corners of streets.

“Out-of-town roads were never lit. People who went out late at night carried torches to see where they were going if there was no moonlight.

“The trouble is that we have become used to having street-lights everywhere and now think it’s a bad thing to turn them off. “I for one would welcome the one right opposite my bedroom window being turned off after midnight!”

For more information, log onto: www.kent.gov.uk.