Ten thousand new energy efficient and eco-friendly street lamps are to be installed in Glasgow.

The lights, which will help to cut carbon emissions, will replace the city's current outdated sodium lights.

Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Sustainable Glasgow, made the announcement on Tuesday. He added that the it will be the first phase of a major programme to refurbish the city's 72,000 ageing sodium lamps with new eco-friendly counterparts.

The city is to have a rolling refurbishment programme which will see a majority of the old lamps replaced by 2018. Currently, it costs around £8.5m a year to power and repair Glasgow's ageing network of lights. With the new lamps, they are expected to use at least 50% less energy than the old ones, and over 20 years they will cut the council's carbon emissions by 52,329 tonnes.

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It is understood the first 10,000 lamps will cost around £8.6m to install along the main roads, and will pay for themselves through the savings generated.

Speaking at the BASE Glasgow conference in the SECC on Tuesday, Councillor Matheson told hundreds of delegates that the project was another key element of the city council's drive to make Glasgow one of Europe's most sustainable cities within the next two decades.

He said: "My city's commitment to reducing emissions is without question. However, we are also facing up to the reality that global climate change is already happening. For Glasgow this is likely to mean increases in rainfall, severe weather incidents and long-term increases in temperature.

"My council has been working with key partners across the region to look at the challenges of climate change. We know we need to work together both to build resilience and adapt. Today I'm launching our response to these challenges.

"It's called the Climate Ready Clyde Vision and it commits us to working with key partners to develop an adaptation strategy and action plan. It represents high aspiration and strong principles. It will drive action and real change."

(JP/IT)