TENDRING Council has agreed to pay County Hall up to £160,000 to switch some streetlights in the district back on following a highly charged meeting.

Most lights in the district have been switched off between midnight and 5am since last year as part of a money-saving scheme by Essex County Council.

Tempers frayed as Labour councillors called for all lights to be switched back on following fears about rising crime, but Tory councillors accused their counterparts of “scaremongering”.

Councillors voted in favour of an amended motion to allow Mr Page to negotiate with county council highway s boss Rodney Bass in an effort to switc h the lights back on.

But there are fears County Hall will block the move after snubbing a similar plan by Harlow Council last week.

Read the full story in this week’s Standard, out now.