THE lights could be going out all over Cheshire to save money - and the planet.

County council chiefs are considering turning off street lights late at night to reduce costs and cut carbon dioxide emissions.

The council is awaiting the results of an experiment in Essex where the street lights are switched off between 12am and 5am. It will also consult residents before taking a decision on its own scheme.

Street lighting costs the council £4.23m a year and chief lighting engineer Phil Edwards said it produced the equivalent of 32m kg of carbon dioxide per year.

He said: "The price of electricity has risen sharply over the past three years and we need to explore ways of reducing the amount we use."

It is also thought turning down lights on traffic signs could save £20,000 a year. Improved headlights on cars means highway lighting - essential in the 1960s and 70s - can now be dimmed.

Modern lighting also means this lighting can be switched on later and off earlier, possibly saving another two per cent in energy costs.

But Coun Derek Bateman, leader of the opposition Labour group, said: "I don't think this idea will get very far because it appears to be a trade off between safety and the environment. Talk of turning the lights off and dimmer switches is well-intentioned, but I don't think there is good enough reason to compromise safety with what would be a minimal impact on the environment.

"The idea that cars now have better lights is not a good enough excuse."

Earlier this year, the M.E.N. reported that council chiefs in Tameside were considering dimming street lights to save money. A report estimated £7,000 a year could be saved if just 1,000 street lights did not operate at full power.

Tameside was the first council in the country to install the latest `lanterns' with electronic control gear.