Occasionally a street light may be located in a position which impedes construction works, such as the widening of a driveway or a new development. If you require a column or unit resituating please contact us for further guidance. We will provide a quote for the works and will require your written acceptance to the quote prior to commencing works. Email streetscene@flintshire.gov.uk / telephone 01352 701234.

You may not use road lighting columns as supports for advertising signs of any kind unless you have been granted permission by us for the erection of short-term temporary direction or information signs. Usually only approved organisations such as the AA or RAC are permitted to erect these. You cannot erect banners, flags or wires between two or more road lighting columns.

You may not use road lighting columns as a support or source of electrical supply for decorations without our consent.

The provision of flower baskets or festive decorations is not a highway function but Flintshire will work with Parish or Community Councils to facilitate such enhancements to the environment. Street lights will need to be structurally tested to ensure that they are strong enough to support the additional loadings and the cost of the works will need to be met by the applicant.

Night time inspections are carried out every 14 days. Items checked include:

• Lanterns which are dark or non operational
• Lamps not fully run up or flickering
• Lanterns turned or misaligned
• Lanterns obscured by foliage
• Lantern bowls hanging, missing or suffering major damage
• Column doors missing
• Brackets misaligned
• Columns leaning

Routine maintenance is carried out annually. This includes:

• Clean all lamps, reflectors and other components affecting optical performance
• Examination of superficial damage, corrosion, chipping, flaking or cracking (concrete columns), cable deterioration, reporting condition.
• Inspect all electrical items rectifying where necessary.
• Check correct operation of photoelectric cell or associated switching device.
• Adjust clocks to correct time where photoelectric cells are not fitted.

Non routine maintenance is carried out as required.

Bulk lamp changing of lamps takes place on main routes and in the town centre on a three and four year cycle.

Structural testing and inspection of columns is carried out every one, three and six years.

Electrical testing is carried out every six years.

If you feel that street lighting needs to be upgraded or installed in your road, you should write to the Street Lighting Manager, Alltami Depot, Mold Road, Alltami, Flintshire CH7 6LG. Your request will be assessed to determine if it meets the criteria for new or improved lighting.

Column replacement programme

There is an annual rolling programme designed to identify and replace lighting columns or assets (within Flintshire County Councils remit) that are shown to be unsound and unsafe.

Criteria for replacement are:

• Old, deteriorated and cracking columns at the end of their design life
• Corroded metal columns
• Incorrect spacing of existing columns
• Sub standard electrical systems
• Out dated scheme designs
• Incorrect and ineffective lighting levels
• Column styles or heights
• Energy savings

We will achieve the upgrading and renewals (within budgetary constraints) by:

• Undertaking any replacement / refurbishment of systems to current standards
• Using the correct lighting sources for the correct locations
• Considering localised dark spots for improvement
• Considering Community and Police safety schemes

Installing new lighting

Street lighting may be installed as a safety measure on roads where there is a need to reduce night time accidents and in accordance with other traffic safety requirements.

New or improved street lighting may be installed in those problem areas prioritised by the crime and disorder partnerships.

Street lighting is installed on new housing estates where the streets (or footpaths) are to be adopted by Flintshire County Council. Developers will have to install lighting in accordance with our requirements and are responsible for all maintenance until formal adoption by the authority takes place. This occurs only after a thorough inspection by one of our street lighting coordinators.

Many lamps have automatic sensors which turn them on at dusk and off in the morning when there is sufficient natural light. Other lights are set to turn on and off at specific times depending on location e.g. if road is overshadowed by dense trees or is a known accident hotspot

Modern lamps and lanterns are designed with improved optical control to concentrate the light downwards onto the street rather than permit spillage upwards into the night sky. Any new lights that we install are designed to minimise light pollution in this way and older lights will gradually be replaced with these at the end of their life.

The street lighting department is exploring various ways to reduce Flintshire County Councils carbon footprint. These include:

• Purchasing of green and renewable energy
• New technologies that reduce energy use / the need for maintenance (e.g. LEDs, hybrid lamps and solar/wind powered devices)
• Remote monitoring systems that reduce energy wastage and inspection frequencies.
• Investigation into dimming at non peak times at suitable locations. (Some streets have already been dimmed between 2200 and 0600 resulting in energy savings of up to 70%)