A STAGGERING 16,000 street lights have been switched off at night across Worcestershire under a scheme to save cash, it has emerged.

Worcestershire County Council says it has completed "95 per cent" of its project to plunge areas into darkness between midnight and 6am.

Two-and-a-half-years on from its launch, we can today reveal:

- Of the 17,000 lights due to be turned off overnight only a few hundred are still to be touched, in pockets of Worcester and Malvern

- Despite concern about public safety it is expected to save taxpayers around £9,000 a week in energy and CO2 costs

- In some areas visited by the Worcester News very few residents had any idea the lights were even off at night

- Around 700 members of the public have contacted the council about it, but bosses say "not all are complaints"

- One furious councillor has labelled it "an austerity cut" and forked out £2,500 on switching them back on in a St John's alleyway

Back in April 2014 the council announced a plan to turn off two out of every three street lights for six hours at night to save around £500,000 a year.

Since then workers have been ripping out hundreds each month and putting in timing devices which switch them out at midnight.

The scheme has concentrated on residential areas, with council chiefs deciding to keep main roads lit in a bid to avoid accusations of public safety being jeopardised.

Some householders have admitted to having no idea they are off, while others have complained of being plunged into darkness.

Lara Dolman, 48, of Neweys Hill, Northwick, said: "I don't work night shifts so I'd never notice and I suspect most people will say the same."

Martin Wood, who lives in Bilford Avenue, Perdiswell, said: "It's not ideal but I'd rather the lights go out than something else get cut."

West Mercia Police has been unable to link the switch-offs to any noticeable crime trends.

The council also says many major routes into Worcester have been given LED lighting, such as City Walls Road.

A county council spokesman said: "In total we have received over 700 enquiries since 2014, but this includes general queries, not all are complaints.

"Each query is investigated, and we have taken advice from local police to ensure residents' personal safety and property are not adversely affected."

BUT THEY’RE BACK ON IN WORCESTER MUGGING ALLEY

IN one Worcester street the lights have been switched back ON after it was the scene of a nasty mugging, it has emerged.

Back in July a woman aged 55 was attacked in Meco Alley, St John's and robbed of jewellery in an incident described by police as "extremely frightening".

Now it has emerged how the alleyway's lights are back on after Cllr Richard Udall used £2,500 of his own County Hall divisional fund cash.

He says the alley, near Bromyard Road, sparked many complaints from residents about being "plunged into darkness".

"I was angered and frustrated when residents told me they'd been plunged into darkness by these Tory austerity plans to take the county into darkness," he said.

"Early morning shift workers including paper-boys and girls, nurses, shop workers and others had feared using the footpath during the early hours.

"The lights were essential for safety - a very nasty mugging took place in the alleyway but the council response was to turn off the lights."

The fund has been enough to switch them back on temporarily until a longer-term solution is found.

He also raised his concern during a full council meeting last week where Cllr Marcus Hart, cabinet member for highways, called it "scaremongering".

"It's regrettable that Cllr Udall asserts we are responsible," he said.

"There is no evidence to say there has been a surge in crime because of it, and assertions there are is political scaremongering.

"We are saving £500,000 a year on our revenue budget from this, which goes towards helping the most vulnerable in our community."