LIB Dem councillors have criticised Tory-run Surrey County Council after discovering that residents have still not been informed about plans to turn off thousands off street lights at night.

In response to a question from councillor Stephen Cooksey, Lib Dems spokesman for highways and environment, the council stated that it was planning to permanently turn off 45,000 street lamps from midnight until 5am.

Surrey initially promised to publish the list of affected streets in September, with the first phase of 33,000 lights scheduled to be switched off from October 1, followed by the second, of 12,000 lights, in December or January.

But, according to the Lib Dems, Surrey County Council has admitted the process has been delayed and cannot give a date as to when residents will find out if they will be left in the dark by these proposals or not.

Mr Cooksey said: “It’s bad enough that the Surrey Tories want to turn off the lights all night but we don’t even know which lights yet. This is a sad day for residents when the county council is unable or unwilling to maintain street lighting for taxpayers.

“Street lights provide an important element of safety and security for residents and plunging large areas into darkness for a large part of the night will not be acceptable to very many people.

“My experience is that most people are keen to see additional lighting in poorly lit areas. This has been even more the case in the light of continued reductions in police resources.

“Residents were first promised that they would find out in September which roads are to be deprived of all-night lighting and the switch off for most areas was scheduled for October 1.

“But the council cannot give a date as to when the lights will be switched off or when residents will be informed. I will strongly oppose this move and hope that residents will make their views known to the council about what is yet another significant reduction in service.”

Surrey has previously claimed the move could save taxpayers up to £240,000 in the current financial year, pointing to a report for the Local Government Association that found reduced street lighting at night does not lead to an increase in crime or car crashes.

A spokesman for the county council said: “We are doing this due to the ever-increasing demand for our services coupled with a reduction in government funding, and only the street lights in quiet areas with low amounts of traffic being considered.

“These are currently being risk-assessed before any decisions are made and these will be communicated to residents affected in advance.”