West Dunbartonshire Council has said it is to proceed with an ambitious LED street lighting programme.

The scheme will help save both money and the environment.

By introducing the ultra-efficient LED streetlights between 2015-2017, the local authority expects to save around £600,000 per year on electricity and maintenance, as well as cut back on 25,000 tonnes of harmful CO2 emissions over a 25-year period.

The Council plans to replace around 14,000 of the region's 18,000 lights, mostly in residential areas.

The street lighting efficiency scheme has been developed as a best practice business case in partnership with the Scottish Future's Trust.

Councillor David McBride, Convener of Housing, Environmental and Economic Development, said: "This is a win-win for everyone. As well as saving a significant amount of money year-on-year, we will also save on maintenance as these new LED lanterns only need to be replaced every 15-20 years, as opposed to replacing lamps every 2-3 years for the existing ones."

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Viv Cockburn of the Scottish Future's Trust added: "We are naturally delighted that the work we've delivered in partnership with West Dunbartonshire Council to develop a financially viable business case, has today led to proposals being taken forward to invest in new LED street lighting.

"Local authorities across Scotland are constantly in the spotlight to achieve cost savings. By spending a little money now on new and efficient street lights, Councils can make significant cost savings, protect themselves from future energy cost increases and at the same time make a massive contribution to the environment."

The Council's plans have also been met with approval from the Loch Lomond National Park.

While the main replacement programme will take place in the financial years 2015-16 and 2016-17, work will start immediately on a small number of street lights in the area.

Councillor Lawrence O'Neill, Vice Convener of Housing, Environmental and Economic Development, explained: "We have been working with the Carbon Trust to carry out a detailed survey of our existing street lighting infrastructure and have identified around 100 street lights which need to be replaced immediately as a result of corrosion. The Council has set aside £675,000 to complete this work and once complete, this project will provide an opportunity to assess the benefits to be gained by installing LED lanterns and will help inform the development of the main project in 2015-2017."

(JP/CD)