THE first of thousands of new LED street lights have been installed in Wirral as a part of a £3million investment project by the local authority.

Wirral Council is installing 7,500 LED lighting units across the borough between now and March as part of a strategy aimed at delivering a range of immediately benefits and significant savings in the long-term.

It has been deemed one of the authority’s most significant investment projects in recent times.

The first units were installed along Whetstone Lane in Birkenhead on Monday, with representatives from various organisations involved in the scheme on-hand to see the switch on.

Among them was council leader Phil Davies, who said: “This is a major investment in the infrastructure of the borough and will help the council deliver on a number of our pledges to Wirral residents between now and 2020, particularly around community safety, environmental and quality of life issues and promoting economic growth.”

Cllr Stuart Whittingham, cabinet member for highways and transportation, added: “This investment will give us a state-of-the-art, totally reliable and efficient street lighting network that will not only deliver savings in the long-term but also give us greater control over the network, helping us to provide a much better service. It will also go a long way towards helping us meeting our environmental commitments.”

The new lights will see a reduction in energy consumption and subsequent reduction in the carbon levy.

Further maintenance costs will also be reduced, resulting in greater savings to the authority.

In developing and delivering the new Street Lighting Strategy, the Council has called upon a range of expertise, including that of SSE Enterprise, who are installing the new units on the council’s behalf.

The project has received part-funding in the shape of an interest-free loan from Salix Finance, an independent company funded by Department for Energy and Climate Change in England which aims to accelerate public sector investment in energy efficiency technologies.