SURREY County Council could spend £18.5 million on converting 89,000 street lights to LEDs in a bid to save £2 million per year.

The council says the switch could reduce energy consumption by up to 60 per cent and avoid a carbon reduction commitment tax, currently costing the council around £160,000 a year.

This three-year conversion could potentially start in autumn this year meaning the project could be completed by 2021.

It follows a previous street light controversy when Surrey decided to switch off 40,000 lights in residential areas between midnight and 5am in order to save £210,000 a year.

Other future innovations suggested by the council include motion sensor controls so lights turn on with movement, real-time traffic movement data to try and ease congestion, and environmental sensors to monitor air quality.