CUTS to street lighting to save up to £400,000 a year have been approved.

The North Yorkshire scheme, to be implemented over the next four years, will involve dimming some lights, switching some off for part of the night, and switching some off altogether.

Plans were approved by councillors at an executive meeting at County Hall, in Northallerton, yesterday.

In a report detailing the plans, it was revealed that North Yorkshire County Council pays £6.4m a year in electricity bills, £1.5m of which is spent on street lighting.

The changes will reduce street light costs by more than 25 per cent and will lead to the reduction of more than 2,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.

Councillor Michael Heseltine, chairman of the Transport, Economy and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, said: "Clearly the provision of street lighting by the council is a huge undertaking.

"There was a two-pronged aim in the production of this report, first in saving money and secondly the reduction of our carbon footprint."

Consultations on which lights will be affected will take place with parish, town and borough councils, and with the public through the council's website.

Coun Gareth Dadd, the executive member for highways and planning services, said: "It is important that the police and the local parish or town councils are involved in the assessment process to ensure that only non-essential street lights are removed or switched off for part of the night."

There are about 48,000 street lamps in North Yorkshire.

The project could eventually result in nearly two-thirds being switched off for part of the night, when road use is at a minimum.