LEADING councillors in Blaenau Gwent decided to switch thousands of streetlights back on for the next four months at a special meeting yesterday.

But after that, councillors voted to install a new system in all the 13,200 streetlights in the county, which will lead to lights being switched off between 1am and 5.30am every day.

The move came after more than 8,500 people had opposed the authority's streetlight switch-off at midnight every night which came into force in May.

At the council's executive committee meeting yesterday councillors voted to fit all lights in the county borough with a central control system. Currently only 7,200 lights are fitted with the system.

The new move will see all lights on A and B roads switched off between 1am and 5.30am while every other of the 10,188 streetlights in residential areas, more than 5,000, will be switched off during the same period.

Until all the lights are fitted with the central control system, known as the Mayflower system, all residential area streetlights will remain on during the night. This is estimated to be for four months.

Executive Member of Regeneration and Highways, Cllr Don Wilcox said this will make a saving of £142,000 per year and ensure no residential area will be completely dark at night.

But opposition leader Cllr Hedley McCarthy said residents were still unhappy.

He said: “The decision does not answer questions such as how ambulances will find their way about the streets at night. It is about time this proposal was put into the dustbin of silly ideas.”

Councillors had originally decided to switch off more than 6,000 streetlights in the area at midnight every night in order to save £180,000 a year.