North Kent residents have reacted in anger to news some street lights will be turned off from midnight to 5.30am across the county in a year long trial.

Kent County Council has already rolled the scheme out across Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells and is now trialling the scheme in Gravesend and Dartford.

The county council will not switch off any street lights in town centres, areas with CCTV, anti-social behaviour areas, at busy road junctions, roundabouts or sites with road safety issues.

Trevor Hassel, 70, of Sun Lane, Gravesend, told News Shopper: "The whole scheme is utter madness, just unbelievable.

"The pavements round here are awful and I can just see more accidents happening. Elderly people are already nervous to go out in the dark.

"We are all paying the rates and I think this scheme is going to cost the council more money in people claiming for damage done by pot holes and people having accidents."

Jerry Higgins, 71, also of Sun Lane, added: "This latest fiasco is moronic to say the least and I have made my views clear to the council.

"I was actually told by someone at the council they are not under obligation to give street lighting "We live in an area which is near an estate and we need the street lights."

KCC says it will save £6.4 million with the scheme and has discussed the scheme with Kent Police and the Kent Association of Local Councils.

David Brazier, Kent County Council cabinet member for transport and environment, added: "We consulted widely on this, and it’s obvious there is support for the idea of reducing energy use and for the hours we will part-night light.

"There was also support for the criteria we use to select lights for part-night lighting.

"Our approach has always been a common sense one - we don’t need to light street lamps when they are not being used, after all you don’t leave your lights on at home when you go to bed."

A KCC interactive map shows the exact roads affected at kent.gov.uk/streetlights