ENFIELD Council is planning to dim the street lights across the borough to save around £5 million.

Plans have been drawn up to use so-called “trimming and dimming” technology to reduce the amount of power used on lighting up Enfield's streets.

The council will shell out nearly £1.5m over three years on new technology to control thousands of street lamps, and is aiming to save around £6.4m on powering new PFI-funded lights it started installing five years ago.

A report prepared by council officers suggested “a very large proportion” of lights in residential roads could be dimmed and still meet UK and EU lighting standards.

If approved, a computerised monitoring system would be introduced to increase or decrease lighting levels for individual roads when needed.

And the report said lamps could be dimmed between midnight and 5am to reduce the borough's carbon emissions.

Councillor Chris Bond, who is in charge of environment, sought to allay safety fears over the move, saying the police have approved the scheme, which is part of a drastic cost-cutting drive to bring down the council's budget.

He said: "In the light of huge government cuts, we have had to look at creative solutions to keep Enfield Council financially sound.

“Dimming street lights in the borough could save council taxpayers millions and radically reduce the borough's carbon emissions.

"We have liaised with police who are content that the dimming is marginal and will not affect community safety, however, it is for residents to tell us their views before we make a final democratic decision for the benefit of the whole community."

The street lights plan is one of a raft of measures which are under consultation, and the Labour administration will decide whether to push ahead with the move in the new year.