YOU cannot put a price on safety.

That is the message from concerned community leaders in Southampton after the city council unveiled plans to dim street lights.

Council chiefs say they will take a “common sense approach” to the scheme, which will save 17 per cent of its electricity bill and cut the authority’s carbon emissions.

But community leaders have warned that dimming the lights could be a threat to safety.

Coxford councillor Don Thomas said: “You’ve got to be careful with safety, especially at night and you’ve got to think particularly about the safety of women who are perhaps coming home from work late.

“There would be places that will not be safe, particularly for women and vulnerable people.”

Jerry Gillan, of Highfield Residents Association, added: “I have an open mind but my gut feeling is that the risk of things going wrong is disproportionate to what they will save.”

Woolston Community Association chairman Val Lloyd said: “I think the council must be really desperate. It is a sad state of affairs.”

The council could implement its new dimming policy on residential streets in September, following consultation over the summer.

As part of the scheme lights will be dimmed by 50 per cent between midnight and 5am, and by 25 per cent between dusk and midnight, and 5am and dawn.

Lights in residential streets are already dimmed by 25 per cent between midnight and 5am.

Areas such as the city centre and city parks will be exempt, while lights outside schools and colleges, universities, hospitals and doctors surgeries will also not be dimmed.

Roads with a known history of antisocial behaviour may also be excluded.

The council says the scheme will deliver a 30 per cent reduction in emissions and energy consumption by 2015.

Cabinet member for communities and change Jacqui Rayment, who is in charge of the project, said: “I am content as long as we get the level right that it will not have a detrimental impact on the city.

“We will take a common sense approach to this.