1 August 2012 Last updated at 10:53 ET

North Yorkshire street lights switch-off moves forward

Residents have four weeks to respond to the county council consultation

Plans to switch off non-essential street lights in parts of North Yorkshire have gone out to public consultation.

The proposal to turn off lights between midnight and 05:00 BST was approved by North Yorkshire County Council in 2011.

Residents in Knaresborough have a month to give their views on the plans.

The authority said lights would not be turned off where road safety or crime were issues. The plan would cut £400k from the street lighting budget.

The Conservative-controlled authority said the scheme would cut energy consumption and reduce its £1.7m street light budget by £400,000 a year.

Gareth Dadd, executive member for highways and planning services, said it was a scheme that would "benefit the council taxpayer through reductions in electricity costs and carbon tax".

"It has cross-party support on the county council and all councillors as well as the emergency services are being consulted on a detailed basis," he added.

The proposals to cut street lights will be rolled out across the rest of the county over the next year, Mr Dadd added.