Switching off Oswestry’s street lights from midnight to 6am would leave hundreds of pub goers milling around in the dark and render the town’s crimebusting CCTV cameras useless, councillors have claimed.

Town councillors say they are “horrified” at the thought of town centre drinkers and housing estate residents being left without any street lights.

Shropshire Council’s Cabinet last month approved a report which made recommendations to reduce energy use by street lights.

Among the proposals is switching off streetlights from midnight to 6am.

The move would generate financial savings of up to 35 per cent, a letter from Shropshire Council’s head of technical services Ron Buzzacott to last night’s Oswestry Town Council said.

Town councillors said they were keen to hear more about the plans because they had various concerns.

Councillor Betty Gull said: “Switching off at midnight would be perfectly acceptable in some parts of the town but there is a generation of people who stay out, particularly at weekends, a lot longer than midnight.

“Unless they change their lifestyle, which is highly unlikely, I wonder if the lights should stay on at least a little longer.

“I would be quite horrified to think that in the town centre there was no lights when there are hundreds if not thousands of people milling around until 2.30am or 3am.

“I wonder rather than a blanket switch-off, zones where lights are switched off would be better.

“If they do the town centre I think it might actually be quite dangerous.”

Councillor Peter Cherrington said it a lot of clubbers and pub-goers often made their way home at 4am and 5am.

Councillor Gareth Jones said he was concerned that if lights were switched off, the town’s CCTV cameras would not be able to pick up any trouble.

The council is to write to Shropshire Council with its concerns and have a meeting with officers.

l Grant — See Page 6