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Due to essential maintenance, the following systems will be unavailable from 6.00pm on Monday 2 October until 8.00am on Tuesday 3 October: our online council tax, business rates and housing benefit services, and our welfare assistance form. You will also not be able to register to pay council tax online, make a change of address for council tax or cancel single person discount. You are still able to make a payment during this time. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Street lighting and illuminated traffic signs


We manage and maintain 80,000 street lights and 5,500 illuminated traffic signs on the county's roads.

Report a problem with a street light

Report a street lighting problem

Damaged or faulty street lights can cause serious injury or death and should not be touched or interfered with.

Report a problem with an illuminated road signs

Lights on the A1(M), A66 and A19

These roads are not maintained by us, but by Highways England. Contact Amey RTMC for the A1(M) and A66, and Autolink (01642 560 637) for the A19.

Street lighting standards

On average, over 99% of all street lights in the county are working at any one time. However, faults and damage can occur such as electricity supply interruptions, adverse weather conditions and vandalism. To minimise the risk of problems of going undetected we carry out routine inspections on all of our street lights and illuminated traffic signs.

Street lighting in housing developments and industrial estates have to meet our specification if developers what us to adopt them after they are built.

Icon for pdf Street Lighting Specification (PDF, 758.1kb)

Durham Cathedral light replacement

Working in partnership with Durham Cathedral and Thorn Lighting we are replacing the floodlights at Durham Cathedral. 

Find out more on how we are improving the lights at the Cathedral at Cathedral lighting upgrade.