STREET lights in Allerdale and Copeland are set to be upgraded as part of a £5.3m countywide improvement scheme.

Work will start this month, converting all existing street-lighting to new LED replacements.

Cumbria County Council has already completed the upgrade work in Barrow and South Lakeland, with Allerdale and Copeland next on the list.

This will take place between now and October.

The council will then move on to Carlisle and Eden, with all of its lighting changing to LEDs by the end of 2021.

The upgrade aims to significantly reduce energy consumption - by about 60 per cent per year - and save more than £1m.

Between July and October, over 6,000 street lights will be converted to LED - 3,800 in Copeland and 2,500 in Allerdale.

County councillor Keith Little, cabinet member for highways, said: “I am delighted to see the programme being delivered in Copeland and Allerdale.

“By investing more than £5m into the county’s street lighting network, we’re not only making the roads safer, but reducing carbon emissions and energy bills.”

Deputy leader Peter Thornton added: “This programme is helping the council to save more than £1m a year in energy costs.”