STREET lights are set to become more eco friendly across the county from this month as works begin to overhaul 45,000 bulbs with LED lighting.

The project will cost £12m over the next two years but will save the council £1m a year for years to come.

Chippenham is the first town to see the changes, followed by Devizes in august 2020, Calne in November 2020 and Marlborough in June 2021.

LED lights offer 20-25 year of coverage before breaking, whereas current sodium lights need to be replaced every three years.

At the moment just three per cent of road lights are Light Emitting Diodes, but all that is now set to change.

Speaking to councillors about the plans last year, Peter Binley, head of highways asset management at Wiltshire Council, said: “We can tone down the lighting in energy sensitive areas as we have great flexibility, so we can dim in off peak periods.”

The current lighting bill of £1.8m every year is set to be slashed by £1m a year through the project.