Four in ten people do not feel safe outside after dark, as street lights in Halstead are switched off overnight starting this weekend.
Essex County Council (ECC) will be turning off the majority of lights across Braintree district from midnight to 5am each night, from tomorrow onwards.
Last week ECC published details of its consultation with councils and emergency services before introducing the scheme.
Although the council argues crime has dropped in Maldon and Uttlesford, where the part night lighting has been in place since 2007, it concedes the scheme could cause greater fear of crime.
ECC street lighting manager Keith Tovee said: “Although fear of crime may not be justified by the evidence on offending levels, it is important because fear of crime can influence people’s behaviour – for example by deterring them from going out after dark.”
A council survey shows 60 per cent of people in Braintree district feel safe outside after dark, four per cent more than in 2006.
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