WORRIES about increased crime levels and road accidents may be realised if street lights are dimmed across the borough.
Hounslow Council have announced they may dim all 16,430 lights as part of a cost cutting initiative.
They look set to follow Westminster Council who are aiming to save £8 million through lower energy and maintenance costs by reducing light emissions by 75 per cent at non-peak periods.
David Hardman, Hounslow Neighbourhood Watch Association, member said there was a link between dark streets and increases in crime such as burglary.
He added: "There is also an issue with road safety, if a pedestrian is wearing dark clothes they can be hard to be seen and an accident could happen."
There are also concerns that the large number of shift workers in the area will feel unsafe as they travel to and from work.
A survey conducted by Hounslow Council showed that in 2011 just under half of people (46 per cent) did not feel ‘very safe’ or ‘fairly safe’ in their local area after dark, while 42 per cent had concerns about feeling vulnerable.
A council spokesman said: “A full review is taking place as to whether the council will introduce a full Central Management System, including dimming and trimming, that could potentially be rolled out as part of the Highways Private Finance Initiative across the stock of 16,430 Streetlights commencing January 2013. There are however no plans to turn off any lights at all in the borough.”
He added changes had to be made to save money for the council.
