Street Lighting
A Guide to Street Lighting in County Durham
The County Council’s policy is to enable roads and footpaths to be used safely by providing, improving and maintaining effective and efficient street lighting and illuminated traffic signs which contribute to improved environmental standards and community safety.Reporting Faults
We welcome fault and damage reports; please contact us on tel: 0191 370 6000 or complete an online fault report. Please include as much of the following information as possible:- The identification number on the lighting column or traffic sign.
- The address of the adjacent property, including its number, the road name and the town or village.
- The nature of the fault or damage.
Facts and Figures
The county council manages and maintains 78,000 street lights and 5500 illuminated traffic signs on county roads. The management and maintenance of street lights on Trunk Roads A66 and the A1(M) motorway is undertaken by A-one Integrated Highway Services, tel: 01325 389991. The management and maintenance of the Trunk Road A19 in undertaken by Autolink Concessionaires Limited, tel: 01642 560 538. Both companies are the appointed agents of the Highways Agency.
Types of Lighting
There are four main types of light source:High Pressure Sodium Lamps
These lamps provide a golden colour. They are used where a more natural colour is required.Low Pressure Sodium Lamps
The majority of lamps are of this type. It is the most efficient in converting electricity to light and produces the familiar orange colour.Compact Metal Halide
This type produces a white light giving good colour rendering and is useful in town centres and conservation areas.Compact Fluorescent Lamps
These lamps are used to illuminate traffic signs and the advent of higher wattage versions is finding increasing use for street lighting using the advantageous white light.Maintenance of Street Lighting
The county council is responsible for maintaining street lights and ensuring new installations are designed to recognised standards. Our responsibilities include:- Management and installation arrangements.
- Maintaining a register of street lights and illuminated signs.
- Designing and installing new and replacement installations.
- Letting contracts, placing orders and monitoring performance.
- Testing and inspecting electrical and structural components to maintain safety.
Fault Procedures
- Inspecting lights every two weeks, recording and reporting faults needing repairs.
- Receiving fault reports and arranging for repairs to be carried out.
- Investigating the cause of faults within four working days of them. being reported and where possible repairing them on the first visit (over 90% are repaired on the first visit; others require more major repairs or involve electricity supply faults).
Fault and damage reports
Faults and damage to street lights and illuminated signs can be caused by:- Component failures.
- Electricity supply interruptions.
- Adverse weather conditions.
- Vehicle impact.
- Vandalism.
Performance
On average, over 99% of all street lights in the county are working correctly at any one time.
Electricity
Electricity is generally supplied to street lights via underground cables and internal wiring in the columns. Underground cables are either the responsibility of the county council or the regional electricity company, Northern Electric plc. In some instances electricity is supplied via the electricity company’s overhead network to lights attached to electricity poles. Electricity is supplied at 230 volt 50Hz and we maintain close liaison with Northern Electric, as damage to their equipment or failure of supplies requires them to restore services.Warning
Damaged or faulty electrical equipment can cause serious injury or death and should not be touched or interfered with.Design and Adoption of Street Lighting Installations
Street Lighting Installations on residential housing developments and Industrial estates provided by developers for the future adoption by Durham County Council must comply with the current Specification for Street Lighting Installations Residential and Industrial Estates amended July 2005, which can be accessed using the attachment below. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this information.
Street Lighting Specification.pdf (28 pages, 460kb)
Publication Date: July 2005
