RURAL streetlights are set to be switched off as part of a new green trial.

Buckinghamshire County Council will replace almost 2,000 streetlights in rural and semi-rural areas with ecologically-friendly alternatives in the three-year project.

The scheme will mean a saving of £100,000 a year, equating to 590 tonnes of CO2 - a ten per cent reduction of the council's total carbon emissions.

Buckinghamshire County Council's group manager for strategic road maintenance and road casualty reduction, Phil Stonehewer, said the aims of the scheme are to reduce the county's carbon footprint, to reduce light pollution and to reduce costs.

He said: "Every site will be slightly different. They will have improved signage, improved road markings and we will be removing some foliage and vegetation.

"Some of the sites will be keeping illuminated bollards and there will be a selection of measures at different sites. In three years we will asses the impact."

Buckinghamshire's cabinet member for transport, Val Letheren, said: "Carbon emissions, light pollution and energy usage are issues that we cannot ignore and will not go away. We have a duty to explore new ways of making our roads safe and today's technology offers viable alternatives to lighting which we feel are worth investigating further.

"This is a trial, and after three years we can take an objective view of the scheme and consider our options. All the sites involved will be carefully monitored and the streetlight columns will remain in place until the trial is completed."

The first phase of the scheme will see 287 streetlights turned off in places such as Wycombe from August 13 and Chiltern and South Bucks from August 20. There will then be a consultation in April 2008 before going ahead with the switch-off of a further 1,700.

Safety work has already been carried out on the sites, such as improved signage and white lining, luminescent signs and intelligent solar powered road studs.

"I am confident this initiative will be a success and proud that Buckinghamshire is leading the way," Cllr Letheren added.

Streetlight energy expenditure in the county has risen by 102 per cent since 2003/2004 while energy usage has increased by only 13 per cent in the same period.

The stretches of roads affected are:

Wycombe - A4128 Hughenden Road, from White Hill (adjoining Hughenden Park) to south of the Cryers Hill roundabout Chiltern - A413 Aylesbury Road/Mobwell junction, Great Missenden South Bucks - A412 Denham Road, from Denham roundabout to the bridge over the M25 A40 from east of Potkiln Lane to about 250 metres west of the Gerrards Cross boundary