PETITION has been launched to reinstate the original hours of street lighting in Northallerton – with many people signing it saying they now feel less safe.

Part-time lighting, where a portion of street lights are switched off between midnight and 5am was introduced in Northallerton and Hambleton last year in a bid to cut the county council’s £2.1 million annual energy bill, but now about 500 people have signed a petition to bring back the original lighting in the town.

The petition claims that crime has increased since some street lights were turned off, particularly as there have been a couple of violent assaults in the town in recent weeks.

County councillor Tony Hall said: “People who do have a veto on what happens with the street lights are the police. If they feel there’s an area that does have a problem then police ask that those lights remain on.

“The police have informed us that the recent violent crime is not linked to the part-night lighting.