How we inspect and maintain Shropshire’s street lights

There are approximately 6.5 million lighting columns in public ownership in the UK, and of this number Shropshire Council is responsible for the maintenance and repair/replacement of 19,277 units.

Some town and parish councils are responsible for street lights in their areas.

To find out which street lights are Shropshire Council’s responsibility, take a look at our mapping system and select the Shropshire-maintained street lights layer.

In this blog, and in the video below, we look at the work we carry out to inspect and maintain Shropshire’s street lights.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiybV30XeT8

How are street lights maintained and repaired?

Lighting columns can be replaced for a number of reasons, for example, due to poor column condition, vehicle damage or changes to the geometry of the road.

We carry out an annual structural replacement programme, to replace columns that are reaching the end of their lives.

We also ask people to report faulty street lights – see below for details.

What is the cost of operating a street light?

Lamps vary in both size and power consumption, depending on whether they’re used in residential areas, on a main road or in a town centre. The average cost of operating a light, inclusive of energy cost and maintenance, is between £40 and £80 a year.

How much energy does a street light use?

Typically, lights on residential roads contain a 35 watt lamp, while those on main roads contain a 150 watt lamp. In simple terms, the electricity consumed by an ‘average’ light will cost between £25 and £65 a year.

For more information, click here to visit some street lighting frequently asked questions on our website.

What is part-night lighting?

Part-night lighting is where street lights switch on at dusk and stay on until around midnight, when they switch off. They then switch on again at around 5:30am and remain alight until dawn.

We introduced it over a three-year period, which started in April 2012, principally to reduce harmful carbon dioxide emissions and to save money.

Which lights are not included in our part-night lighting scheme?

• Lights at major roundabouts and junctions, pedestrian crossings, traffic lights and speed bumps, or are needed to ensure road safety.
• Areas of high night time use, for example, train stations, leisure centres, nightclubs.
• Areas where a lack of lights could cause increased crime.
• Near pedestrian crossings, footbridges, subways and remote alleys linking residential streets.
• Near sheltered housing for the elderly.
• At level crossings, speed humps and traffic lights.
• At bus stops and public car parks.

Roads with high accident levels after midnight aren’t included, and the emergency services can ask for lights to be turned on.

For more information about part-night lighting, click here to read some frequently-asked questions on our website.

How to report a faulty street light?

You can report a faulty or obscure light using the online form on our website – or by calling 0345 678 9006.

When will repairs be completed?

We aim to repair faulty street lights within five working days.

Priority is given to dangerous faults which may put members of the public at risk and are normally made safe within two hours.

If a faulty light is caused by a problem with the electricity supply we’ll refer it to the electricity supplier. It might take 25 working days for them to fix the fault, depending on their commitments at the time.

Useful links

Street lighting pages on Shropshire Council website – click here

Report a faulty street light – click here

Any questions? Email – highways.maintenance@shropshire.gov.uk. Tel: 0345 678 9006. 24 hour telephone number: 08000 286046

Email updates. Receive the latest information about street lighting direct to your inbox each time it’s added to our website. Click here to sign up to our Govdelivery service.

Highways pages on Shropshire Council website – click here

Through our highways assets management strategy Shropshire Council and our partners Mouchel and Ringway work together to to make sure that our roads, pavements and bridges are safe for road users now and in the future.

To read the highways asset management strategy – click here

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