LOW energy street lights will be rolled out across Southend even faster after the Government agreed £13.3million of funding for the project.

The Department for Transport and the Government’s Green Investment Bank have agreed to pay to fit every street light in the borough with LED lamps.

The new cash injection, which almost completely funds the £13.5million project, will see the roll out completed 18 months earlier faster, by spring 2018.

The boon, which is believed to be the first time a local authority has secured Green Bank investment in street lights, also provides another opportunity to crow over the county council, which has provoked ire by switching off its street lights to save cash.

Martin Terry, Southend councillor responsible for transport, said: “Bringing this popular project forward is a win-win situation.

“The sooner we replace every lamp in the borough, the sooner we can save money, reduce carbon omissions and provide residents and motorists with brighter, cleaner light. “Unlike many other authorities in the country, this council was determined not to plunge our borough into darkness as a means of making much-needed savings.

“Instead we listened to the voice of local residents and opted to invest in green technology as a means of saving money in the longer term.

“We’ve chosen a pioneering solution that shields residents from an increased fear of crime and poorer road safety that are often associated with turning the street lights out.

“We’re proud to be the first local authority in England to use the Green Investment Bank in this way, securing a favourable financial arrangement that will speed up this ambitious, innovative and hugely important project.”

The council started a five-year project to replace the borough’s 14,000 street lanterns in November(2014).

But the changeover will be finished in just three and a half years after the Department for Transport agreed £5.1million and the Green Investment Bank offered another £8.2million the And the project has been extended to include all illuminated “street furniture”, such as lit signs, and replacing or refurbishing ageing street lighting columns.

A new central management system will also allow the council to remotely manage its lanterns across the borough.

The new lamps, which can provide 100,000 hours of light compared to a standard bulb’s 15,000 hours, will more than pay for themselves within their lifetime through energy savings.

Gregor Paterson-Jones, managing director of energy efficiency at the Green Investment Bank, said: “LEDs can last more than six times longer than standard bulbs.

“As well as delivering practical cost savings, switching all of the UK’s streetlights could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 475,000 tonnes every year. That’s the equivalent of taking over 200,000 cars off the road.

“This bespoke financial arrangement is specifically designed to help spread costs. Councils that make similar investments could benefit from immediate cost savings that help alleviate budgetary pressures.”