A MAJOR rural campaign group has today welcomed plans which could see street lights across the East Riding switched off at night.

The council is considering the move because its energy costs are expected to rise by 18 per cent to more than £3m this year.

Street lighting costs almost £900,000 annually and the council is looking to reduce the expense.

Now, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is welcoming the proposals, which could see lights turned off or dimmed.

Margaret Cockbill, East Riding CPRE chairman, said: "We all need to think seriously about the amount of light energy we use.

"There are areas in the countryside where we do not need to use street lighting and those could be turned off.

"However, in terms of safety dimming the street lights would be a sensible option."

In 2003, the CPRE launched its Night Blight campaign to highlight the problem of light pollution.

Its research showed the region had lost half of its truly dark night time because of outdoor lighting.

Mrs Cockbill said: "A lot of the area's sky is permanently lit up.

"Our campaign argued that there will be many children who have not seen the stars in the sky."

As part of a survey of 6,000 households on a range of issues, the council is now asking residents for their views on the proposal.

Options include a switch-off between midnight and 5am or between 2am and 5am.

Another alternative would be dimming the lights to save energy.

Council leader Councillor Stephen Parnaby insisted he would not want to see lights switched off in crime hotspots or major residential areas.

However, he revealed an experimental scheme could get under way as early as next month.