The trial of unique decorative lights along part of Burnham-On-Sea seafront has been hailed a success this week and the town council is set to extend the trial.
The LED lights, which randomly change colour, were installed in December along the walkway on the South Esplanade near Burnham Sailing Club.
Town Clerk Denise Emery told Burnham-On-Sea.com this week: “We’ve been trialing them for several weeks now and councillors like them and feel they are attractive for the seafront.”
“We do, however, have some concerns that the lights need to be brighter for safety reasons. Therefore, we’re investigating whether this can be changed. The trial is being extended before we consider whether to widen their use along The Esplanade.”
The lights are being trialed after local resident Nick Whetstone proposed that the previous decorative seafront illuminations should be replaced by LED lights to cut council costs.
It’s claimed that the new LED lights will cut the council’s power bill by up to 85% along the seafront.
The trial was initially due to go ahead in 2012, but the harbourmaster warned that the lights “could cause confusion to shipping” since some of the LED lights show colours that are the same as warning navigation buoys nearby. However, those concerns were later resolved.
Last year, town councillors voted in favour of installing the multi-coloured LED lights on the South Esplanade at a cost of £420 on a trial basis. The new lights are being tested to establish whether they generate sufficient light on pavements before their use is potentially widened to cover the whole seafront.
