BOLTON could get a new multi-million pound lighting system with the ability to control every street light in the town.

Town hall bosses say the state-of-the-art facility, controlled from a central hub, will in the long-run help to save millions of pounds in energy bills.

It will also use brighter but more efficient LED lights.

At a total cost of £10 million, it will be run by a new central management system (CMS), which would allow council officers to turn up and dim all of the individual lights as they please.

Stephen Young, assistant director for highways at Bolton Council, said it could help with crime prevention — as well as save the cash-strapped authority money.

Mr Young told the environmental services scrutiny committee that, as part of the move, lights would be replaced with energy-saving LEDs to save cash.

He said: “We want to move to a cleaner white light, which is better in terms of crime prevention and helping reduce the fear of crime.

"We are looking at a CMS solution, which will give the council the ability to control the strength of street lights remotely.

“In areas of high crime we can ‘overburn’ the lights to reduce the number of incidents, and we can look to dim the lights to make cost savings.”

The council currently spends £2.1 million on energy ever year, while a government tax on carbon dioxide emissions costs the Bolton taxpayers £100,000 per annum.

While a standard street light usually lasts 15,000 hours, Mr Young told the committee an LED light can last up to 100,000 hours.

Replacing all the street lights will save the council £14 million over the next 25 years, he added.

The contract to carry out the work is currently out to tender, with council bosses expected to choose a company within the next month.

Heaton and Lostock Tory councillor Bob Allen welcomed the move, which he said could help save jobs in the long term, but warned the council to expect a public backlash.

He said: “I think it’s really worthwhile — LED lights are by far the most technologically advanced and cheapest source of lighting around.

“It’s superb, but there are a couple of issues with it.

“LED lights are designed so that that light is much more directed and more focused. We are not increasing the number of columns so it can give the effect of spot lighting.

“The other is the colour — these are white and absolutely dazzling, and the public are used to yellow lights.

“There are some public objections to overcome and I think we can do that over the passage of time. People will get used to it.”

Cllr David Chadwick, cabinet member for highways and transport, said switching to LED streetlights will improve visibility on Bolton’s residential roads.

He added: “They’re brighter and will keep the streets well lit and safe for pedestrians and drivers, reducing the chance of accidents and crime.

“We’re expecting the upgrade to deliver savings of around £14 million. It’s a great example of an investment we’re making to save money in the long term.”