Switching street lights off has saved Lincolnshire County Council £2.5 million – but many people are concerned about the consequences for the safety of people in Lincoln.
The council says it will spend just under £2 million lighting the streets this year, compared with £4.5 million previously.
Environmentally, this has cut the council’s carbon footprint by more than 6,000 metric tonnes each year, which is the same as driving a car around the world 4,000 times.
Despite the money saved, residents are concerned for their safety.
Taylor Jamison is a student at the University of Lincoln, and had problems driving home one night.
She said: “My house is on one of the roads where they have no street lights. The more I was driving round looking for a place to park, the more I was getting freaked out that I would have to leave my car and walk in the dark home.
“It got to the point where I was so scared and so frantic that I had to ring my boyfriend and make him walk all the way home with me. It shouldn’t be like this, there should be lights everywhere. I’d feel so much more comfortable if there were.”
