NEWCASTLE spends more on street lights than anywhere else in the North-East, new data reveals, while Durham spends just £7 per person.

They are seen on almost every street across the country and help to illuminate footpaths and roads during dark days, but how much does it actually cost to keep towns and cities lit up?

According to new research by Smart Lighting Industries, Newcastle ranks eight in the top ten brightest areas in the country, spending £8,067,000 on running street lights, equal to £27 per person. 

The research analysed government and ONS data to discover which local authorities have the most street lights and just how much this is costing local authorities. 

Birmingham spends the most on streets lights in the country, which costs £23,557,000 to run. However, this equals to £21 per person, a figure topped by the likes of Knowsley which spends £47 per person.

The area with the lowest annual spend in the region is Darlington, though Durham spends less per person. 

See how local authorities in the North-East compare: 

Newcastle - £8,067,000 annual spending, equivalent to £27 per person

Middlesbrough - £1,170,000 annual spending, equivalent to £8 per person

Durham - £3,311,000 annual spending, equivalent to £6 per person

Darlington - £759,000 annual spending, equivalent to £7 per person

Sunderland - £4,651,000 annual spending, equivalent to £17 per person

Hartlepool - £1,106,000 annual spending, equivalent to £12 per person