Community may soon have the opportunity to keep their street lights on at night - but it will cost them.

In 2010 Essex County Council announced plans to switch 70 per cent of Epping Forest's street lamps off at night, as part of a bid to save £6.5m by 2020.

While Essex Police insists their is no link between the district's darker streets and rising crime rates, members of the public concerned about street safety launched a petition calling for their re-illumination earlier this year.

A month after the district Labour group reframed street lighting as a women's issue at its inaugural women's conference, district council leader Cllr Christ Whitbread announced plans to get the lights back on.

At a meeting on December 20 he said: "Working closely with our local MP Eleanor Laing and the district commander we have responded to residents' concerns by obtaining agreement form Essex County Council Highways portfolio holder Kevin Bentley for all street lighting to be turned on across the district.

"We have obtained a cost of turning the lights back on for each town and parish council area and we will shortly be writing to each local council with details of how they could fund this initiative.

"I hope our town and parish councils will respond positively as community safety is the responsibility of all tiers of our government in our district."

The district council has been asked how much switching the lights back on would cost.