Gravesham’s MP has challenged the leader of Kent County Council over the authority’s controversial street light switch off scheme.

Adam Holloway met with Paul Carter and David Brazier, deputy leader and cabinet member responsible for the scheme, to press them on whether evidence of increased crime in an area would prompt the council to roll back part of the Safe and Sensible lighting initiative.

Mr Holloway said: “In our meeting the leader told me that if there is evidence of increased crime in a given area, attributed to the scheme, and the police recommend that they are switched back on, then of course they will do so.

“I call that a victory for commons sense.”

Since April, around 70,000 street lights have been switched off across Kent between midnight and 6.30am, in a moved aim at reducing carbon emissions and light pollution and saving £900,000 a year in energy costs.

In a response to written questions proposed by Mr Holloway, Councillor Brazier admitted Kent Police are not in favour of the scheme, but claimed the force helped design the programme so areas where it was thought crime may increase as a result of having lights switched off, have not be included.