CHELMSFORD residents and workers have welcomed an extra hour of street lights – but still feel the city will not be lit up for long enough.

A U-turn by Essex County Council will see Essex’s street lights remain on for an extra hour until 1am, six nights a week, although the lights will still go out at midnight every Sunday.

But residents, nightclubbers and people working in the city’s bars believe the lights should be left on later, if not all night.

James Thebith, 32, of Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, regularly goes out in the city in the evening.

He said: “There are lots of people coming home from nights out or working late at night and it’s a risk for them to be walking in the dark.

"It’s a step in the right direction, but not quite enough.”

Nicole Cottage, manager of the Thomas Mildmay pub, added: “You can understand why people don’t want to go out at night.

"I think they should be kept on, but it’s a move in the right direction.”

County councillor David Kendall feels more needs to be done too.

He added: “I welcome the one-hour extension particularly as Essex County Council are going to pay. But it just doesn’t go far enough.”