Councils must do more to reduce the impact of light pollution – at the same time saving hundreds of thousands of pounds for the taxpayer – campaigners have said.
New research conducted by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) found fewer than two thirds of councils in England are looking to minimise the impact of bad lighting, despite changes to planning laws which encourage them to do so.
Its report "Shedding Light – a survey of local authority approaches to lighting in England" is the first to quiz councils specifically on how they control light pollution.
It found the proportion of people living with severe light pollution around the country is growing. And while eight in ten councils said they considered the impact of lighting on the open countryside when considering lighting on building developments or highways, more than a third have no policy in place to help them control light pollution.
It highlighted work done by Cornwall Council which has invested £17 million to upgrade its lighting infrastructure. The system can be controlled centrally with dimming which changed with the flick of a switch via the Internet.
Dimming lights during the middle of the night has saved the council some £9 million between 2010 and 2013. It has also run a trial in nine villages across the county where some lights have been switched off and other dimmed.
Devon County Council has agreed a package of measures for street lighting that will cut carbon emissions and reduce energy costs. That includes changing hours of operation from all-night to part-night on all non-main roads and all new residential developments.
In residential areas, street light hours are being changed from all-night long to between dusk and 12.30am and again from 5.30am until dawn.
It said town centres would remain lit all night although consideration will be given to dimming lighting where possible. Main road lighting will be risk assessed to determine whether street lights remain lit all night, are converted to part-night lighting or dimmed.
Emma Marrington, corr CPRE Dark Skies Campaigner, said: "The results of our survey show that many local authorities are taking steps in the right direction to manage lighting more effectively. But much more can be done to encourage all authorities to take this issue more seriously.
"We urge councils to do more to control lighting in their areas, and ensure that the right lighting is used only where and when it is needed.
"We often hear concerns that changing street lighting can impact on public safety but our research revealed no evidence to support this.
"We're not advocating changes where they're not appropriate, but why shine bright lights on residential streets, quiet roads and open countryside throughout the night when it's not needed? "Genuine dark starry nights are becoming harder and harder to find which is why councils should take action to control it now.
"Light pollution blurs the distinction between town and country, ruins the countryside's tranquil character and denies us the experience of a truly starry sky."
Street lighting in England costs councils approximately £616 million per year and can account for up to 30% of their carbon emissions.
CPRE said tackling light pollution would have the "triple benefit" of preserving dark skies while cutting costs and carbon emissions.
The campaign group's survey, which posed more than 20 questions to councils, found almost a third were switching off street lights, typically from midnight to 5am, while almost half said they were involved in dimming street lights in their areas.
The research found dimming schemes are significantly more popular than switch-off schemes with residents, with 68% of respondents saying local communities had been very supportive.
As a result of the research, CPRE is calling for councils to do more to control lighting in their areas.
The report makes nine recommendations including preserving dark skies by having a presumption against new lighting in existing dark areas, allocating lighting zones to help determine where streetlights should and should not go, and preventing inappropriate and badly designed lighting of development that masks views of the night sky.
