£7m upgrade for street lighting

Funding has been secured for major improvements to the Borough's street lights.

More than £7m will be invested during 2015 and 2016 to upgrade over 11,000 street lights using the latest light-emitting diode (LED) technology. Nearly 2,500 columns that have reached the end of their serviceable life will also be replaced,

The money is coming from Salix Finance, which works with public sector organisations to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions. Salix provides interest-free loans with repayments covered from the energy savings achieved by the project.

Paul Traynor, strategic commissioning manager for highways at Cheshire East Council, said: "The Council has a duty to look at all options to reduce its carbon emissions and to tackle increasing energy costs.

"Upgrading existing lanterns to LED will not only reduce our carbon emissions but will also deliver a better quality of light for residents, cut ongoing maintenance costs and significantly reduce our energy bills."