Street lights

About this service

We are responsible for the majority of street lighting within the County, this included the maintenance of street lighting, illuminated traffic signs, illuminated bollards and associated equipment.

Our Term maintenance Consultant (Mouchel) have a street lighting team who are responsible for ensuring the maintenance of the Councils existing street lighting and illuminated traffic signs stock, they also design new street lighting installations and approve the designs of developers for new housing estates.

Within the County there are currently over 40,000 street lights and illuminated signs. Street lighting is something many people take for granted but it is very important to us. It reduces the likelihood of road traffic accidents for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle users. It also increases the safety of our environment and property by reducing crime and vandalism.

We are currently reviewing its street lighting policy. This review will ensure the policy addresses the current issues with reference to the provision of street lighting. We already consider the issue of light pollution as serious and as such endeavors to eliminate this where ever possible across the County by installing suitable equipment. When ever new lighting is installed or existing lighting upgraded/replaced the following issues are considered:

  • Traffic, crime and the promotion of night time usage of the streets.
  • The location - historic, conservation rural locations etc
  • Clutter within the street, looking to minimise street furniture, combining items wherever possible.
  • The affect on wildlife and the environment
  • The impact on the carbon footprint. Wiltshire buys 100% Green
  • Energy for street lighting

We administer the contract to supply these units with electricity with Traffic Services Europe (TSEU).

We are responsible for the following street furniture maintained on its behalf by Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services (BBIS).

The Term Maintenance contract is managed by Mouchel for the Council.

  • 39,734 street lighting columns
  • 3,363 illuminated road signs
  • 1,522 bollards
  • 61 school twin flashing lights
  • 237 zebra crossing flashing amber beacons

The stock is increasing due to new development and highway improvements.

There is no statutory requirement on local authorities to provide public lighting and a highway authority's duty of care does not imply any duty to keep the public lighting lit. However, authorities should be able to demonstrate that they have systems in place to maintain the public lighting equipment in a safe condition.

An annual budget is allocated for street lighting (and associated electrical equipment) to cover routine maintenance (lamp replacement, cleaning, etc.) and electrical safety testing. We have very limited funding for the provision of new or enhancements to street lighting and associated equipment, and replacing sub-standard columns is treated as a priority.

We appreciate the publics help when informing us of inoperable street lighting or illuminated traffic signs, the number to telephone to report these faults is 0800 23 23 23.

When reporting a fault it would be useful to have the following information available in order that the correct unit can be identified and repaired quickly:

  • What number is painted on the street lighting column
  • What road or street it is in
  • What the fault is

(Please bear in mind that most repairs are carried out in daylight when it is not easy to establish which light is faulty without accurate information).

Repairs

If a street light is damaged it may be dangerous, especially if any wiring can be seen. You should never attempt to help by covering up or touching the wires but if necessary you should warn children to keep away. Please call us immediately so that we can make it safe as quickly as possible.

We aim to attend to emergencies within two hours and all other fault are attended and repaired within five working days.

Sometimes a fault is due to the failure of the electricity supply. In these cases the repair is not directly under the control of the Council and we have to instruct Balfour Beatty  to carry out the repair

Every street light and illuminated traffic sign is cleaned and serviced every three years. The lamps in the units are regularly changed and all units have a detailed electrical test carried out every six years in accordance with the Institution of Electrical Engineers Regulations. A detailed structural inspection is also carried out at every visit. All works are carried out by our term maintenance contractor Balfour Beatty. Regular night inspections are also carried out across the whole County to identify any faulty units, any units found to be non operational are recorded and the maintenance contractor is instructed to carry out the required repairs.

All faults should be reported by contacting Clarence on: 0800 23 23 23.

Contact Details

Email: clarence@wiltshire.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 456 0100
Fax: 01225 751600 (Traffic Services) 01225 713207 (Transport and Development Group)
Postal Address:
Customer Services
Wiltshire Council
County Hall
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN