TOWNS and villages across Worcestershire could be plunged into darkness if street lights are switched off at night to save a cash-strapped council money.

Such a move has caused controversy elsewhere in the country, such as when a 19-year-old soldier died in Somerset in a road accident on Christmas Day – his family believe the council’s decision to turn the lights off overnight was a factor in his death.

Worcestershire County Council spends about £2 million a year on energy bills for the 60,000 street lights it is responsible for but bosses are urging departments to cut costs in a bid to slash up to £70 million from the budget by 2015 as a result of reduced government funding.

While options to save £500,000 include making lights more energy-efficient – as well as dimming them at certain times – John Smith, cabinet member for highways and transport, believes the LED atechnology is not yet cost effective and reliable enough.

As a result, transport chiefs are considering switching some lights off either at set times, such as between midnight and 5.30am, or permanently.

At a meeting of the Conservative-controlled cabinet yesterday, Councillor Simon Geraghty, in charge of planning, economy and performance, said: “This is not simply about turning off swathes of street lights. It’s about looking at individual circumstances.”

But Councillor Liz Eyre, cabinet member for children and young people’s social care, said: “This is a very tricky issue.”

Councillor Marcus Hart, cabinet member for health and well-being, admitted there are “important safety issues” but added he was confident Coun Smith and his team would make the right decisions.

Councillor Fran Oborski, a Liberal, said she thought members might be quite surprised at how many rural and urban areas will want lights switched off and Trish Haines, the council’s chief executive, agreed when she said: “Quite a lot of people think street lighting is a total waste of money.

"But while some will be pleased some will be very upset about it.”

A scrutiny committee will now look at the matter and report back in a year.