The majority of Street Lighting in the residential areas of West Sussex is controlled by part night photocells. These photocells switch the lights on at dusk and they remain on until the middle of the night. The lights then switch off for five and a half hours before switching back on. The photocells are controlled by daylight hours, rather than a timeclock, this means that when we refer to the middle of the night we mean the midpoint between dusk and dawn, not 12am.

West Sussex has been at the fore front of part night street lighting since the early 70’s and the continued use of it has been set out by the County Councillor’s in a bid to safeguard the County Council against the future predicted large energy price increases, helps sustain our current energy bills, reduces carbon emissions and ultimately uses tax payer’s money efficiently.

As daylight hours change throughout the year the part night photocells monitor the times of dusk and dawn each day to determine when the middle of the night is. The use of daylight to determine the switch on and off times is subject to an annual rhythm that can naturally lead to a 15 to 20 minute variation in timings throughout the year. This can become particularly noticeable during the lead up to the change between British Summer Time (BST) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) during the autumn period.

For a short period of time in the autumn, before the clocks change, the lighting will not switch on until about 6.30am. Once the clocks change to GMT the lighting will then revert to switching on at around 5.30am. This is due to the street lights not altering their timings when we change our clocks. The streetlights’ on and off times are controlled by daylight hours, not a time clock. The photo cell timing is industry standard, pre-set, and is not adjustable.

The street lights do not alter their timings when we change our clocks, their on and off times are controlled by daylight hours not a time clock. This means when the UK moves to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) the one hour clock shift back means that the lights switch off an hour earlier. The photo cells that controls the timing of the street lights is industry standard, pre-set, and is not adjustable.

The use of daylight to determine the switch on and off times of part night photocells is subject to an annual rhythm that can naturally lead to a 15 to 20 minute variation in timings throughout the year. This can become particularly noticeable after the clocks change because we make a large jump in time and the photocells do not. For example, before the change to GMT your light may have been going off around 1am. After the change to GMT happens it will switch off at around midnight. These timings are subject to a 15 to 20 minute variation throughout the year, meaning the lights may be turning off up to 20 mins earlier. This variation will reduce over time bringing the switch off closer to midnight.

It is sometimes possible to fit shields to street lights to reduce light intrusion. There is a charge for this service. You can contact us to request a shield at westsussexpfi@enerveo.com please provide the road name, town and number of the street light. Light numbers are displayed on each post facing the road.

Most major traffic routes are lit all night but dimmed between midnight and 5.30am, there are a small number which currently do not dim. West Sussex County Council will be looking to convert these in the foreseeable future.

As the street lighting contractor for West Sussex County Council we are responsible for clearing foliage which directly obscures street lights. If Major work is required we will liaise with the Council to get this done.

It is usually possible to move an existing street light a short distance to allow for a property alteration such as a dropped kerb. We are only able to move street lights if the new position will not detrimentally affect the level for light on the public highway. There is a charge for this service. If you would like a free quote for this service please complete this form and return it to the Estimating Team at westsussexquotations@enerveo.com

West Sussex County Council is not actively installing any additional lighting in unlit roads or areas due to budget constraints. However, if you wish to log a request for a particular road, you may apply to WSSC through their community highways scheme on this link.

If you wish to gain authorisation to make any attachment to a street light you must apply for it. Unauthorised attachments are not permitted and may be removed when discovered.

To start an application to make an attachment to a street light please visit the Third Party Attachments section on this website.

Street lights are checked for faults once a month during the summer and twice a month during the winter. If you wish to report a faulty street light you can do so here.

When a fault is reported we attend site within three business days. We investigate the fault and wherever possible carry out a repair that day. If there is the need for a more extensive repair it may take an additional 10 to 30 days to correct.

The majority of street lights in West Sussex are owned either by WSCC or a local Parish Council. SSE maintain all to WSCC’s street lights under a PFI contract. This contract also includes some local Parish Councils.

You can report faults on units maintained by the PFI contract using the fault reporting tool here

If your light is not featured on the map then it is likely that the street light belongs to a local Parish Council who are not part of the PFI. It may alternatively be privately owned or belong to a housing association. SSE does not maintain these units, and faults should be reported directly to the local Parish Council or company that manages them.