Streetlights could be switched off across Kent as part of a drive to save money and curb the county council’s spiralling electricity costs.

County transport chiefs have confirmed they are considering a selective switch off for roads across all districts, provided they are satisfied it could be done without increasing the risk of accidents or crime.

KCC’s move represents a U-turn as last year, it firmly ruled out the idea and insisted it had no plans to follow in the footsteps of other authorities, like Essex, who have trialled the idea.

Now Conservative roads chief Cllr Keith Ferrin says the council is weighing up the idea but emphasised any proposal would only go ahead once police, emergency services and residents who could be affected were consulted.

He said it was clear there were many roads where it was not necessary to keep lights on throughout the night. In some areas, lights could be turned off for several hours whereas in others, it could mean turning them off half an hour earlier.

"There is an issue about whether it makes sense to light up some roads between midnight and 6am. We are looking at turning off lights earlier in the morning when there is very little traffic around and using your headlights would be quite adequate. We are going to look very closely at the times they are turned on and off," he said.

With about 120,000 streetlights across the county, turning each one off 15 minutes earlier would produce significant savings, he added.

"It could reduce our electricity bill to about £3million. Most people would not notice any difference at all," he added.

KCC’s energy costs have soared in recent years in line with an industry-wide hike in prices. This year, it expects to pay £4million for electricity for its bills.