STREET lights in Culm Valley communities and other Devon parishes near Wellington are set to become dimmer next year as a cost-saving measure following a trial in Holcombe Rogus.

Holcombe Rogus was one of four communities where Devon County Council ran a small-scale pilot with 550 street lights switched off earlier in the evenings and dimmed when they were on.

The council has upgraded its technology to allow adjustments to be made remotely to around 50 per cent of the county’s 80,000 street lights.

The pilot project earlier this year showed potential for Devon to save £6 million a year on its energy bills by making the lights dimmer and turning them off earlier.

Now, the council is to try it out across Devon for 12 months in the new financial year starting in April and then review the policy in 2026.

Rural areas such as Hemyock, Uffculme, and Culmstock will see residential street lights dimmed to 40 per cent from 7pm to midnight, switched off from midnight to 5.30am, and 40 per cent output again from 5.30am to 6.30am.

Urban areas will see the dimming and switch-off happen later in the evenings.

The council is also rolling out LED lighting to reduce energy use, carbon emissions, and costs, while still keeping the public safe.

Devon cabinet Cllr Stuart Hughes said: “The installation of our central management system will enable us to make adjustments to light dimming and timings during this extended trial.”