A call to keep street lights on at night to enhance women's safety will be debated in Hertfordshire's County Hall.

More than 370 members of the public have signed a "Reclaim the Night" petition urging Hertfordshire County Council to keep street lights on at night in Stevenage.

A report into the petition notes that the current lighting arrangements in the county – with around 75,000 units on a part-night lighting schedule, and around 40,000 units lit all night – saves approximately £6.9million from being added to the council's energy bill each year.

The document, produced by local authority officers, recommends councillors agree to "acknowledge the petition but recommend that no further action is taken".

Hertfordshire County Council received the petition in September 2022.

It reads: "Listen to the people of Stevenage and KEEP THE LIGHTS ON!

"We want women to feel safe on our streets at night."

The part-night lighting which is used for the majority of street lights in the county began in October 2012 in a bid to reduce energy costs and the council's carbon emissions, the local authority's report notes.

The policy involves switching on the lights at dusk, dimming them by 50 per cent at 9pm, then dimming them again by another 30pc at 11pm.

Between 1am and 5am, the lights are turned off.

In spring 2022, council officers told councillors they can request lighting be extended from 1am until 2am on a street-by-street basis, as long as the street meets a set of criteria.

Officers received no requests to do this before June 30, 2022.

If there is an "evidence-based crime issue", Hertfordshire Constabulary can ask the county council to turn the lighting on all night, again on a street-by-street basis.

The report reads: "Monitoring of crime rates was carried out in the early years of the project, with no increases in crime due to the lack of lighting.

"Continuous monitoring since then has showed that, overall, there is no evidence to suggest that part-night lighting has exacerbated crime levels at night.

"The local chief inspectors of Hertfordshire Constabulary across Hertfordshire confirmed this position in April 2018."

It adds: "The county council acknowledges the concerns of residents regarding safety on Hertfordshire's streets and has developed a modern street light system that is flexible to meet the needs of varied and changing requirements across the county.

"This also supports safe, active and sustainable travel such as walking and cycling.

"The county council monitors that system to ensure people feel safe when out during the hours of darkness.

"Whilst crime in Hertfordshire remains low, the county council are committed to balancing perception and feelings of safety with other considerations such as the concerns of many residents about light pollution, reducing our carbon emissions and ensuring value for money for Hertfordshire's taxpayers."

Officers said they would keep the council's position "under review".