Islington Council has pledged to switch all 11,350 of its street lights to environmentally friendly LEDs – saving £400,000 a year.

The switchover, which is due for completion in 2022, will save an estimated 1,414 tonnes of carbon emissions a year. That’s the equivalent of removing 924 cars from the road.

Happily for town hall officers, they don’t need planning permission for the LEDs. Last year, four council-backed smart benches with built-in phone chargers had to be removed because no one applied for planning permission before they were installed.

Charity 10:10 Climate Action is lobbying councils to make the switchover from traditional bumbs. Campaigner Neil Jones gushed: “Islington Council deserves nothing but praise for taking the pledge to lighten up its streets with LEDs.

“In these tough financial times the money saved will make a real difference to people in the area. And the carbon-cutting potential of LEDs makes this move a no-brainer. That’s why we’re calling on more councils to follow Islington’s example.”