WORK has started making the streets of Hyndburn safer after dark.

Hyndburn Council's £140,000 "Operation Twinkle" will improve street lighting at specific locations within the borough and should be completed by early next year.

It's hoped the extra lighting will ward off would-be attackers and reassure residents walking the town's streets at night.

This area includes side streets between Blackburn Road and Hyndburn Road In Accrington, Henry Street and King Street in Church and Lion Court and Walmersley Close in Church.

Old lighting columns and lanterns will be replaced with white rather than the traditional orange light, which lets people see colours more clearly and will prove useful to witnesses of crime.

Davina Helm is the Community Safety Manager for Hyndburn Council and spokesperson for the Hyndburn Community Safety partnership.

She said: "Appropriate street lighting can have a positive effect on neighbourhoods by reducing crime through improved visibility.

"This improves natural surveillance that can act as a deterrent to potential offenders, help with their identification and increase the risk of interruption in the course of their criminal activities.

"It can also contribute to an improvement in community confidence and reduce the fear of crime."

Janet Storey, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, said: "Good street lighting helps in creating a safer environment and these improvements will go a long way in ensuring that residents feel safer in the streets."

Sgt Mark Porter said: "Anything that assists us with combating crime and disorder is something that we welcome.

"If it improves visibility and makes people feel safer then it is a good thing."

The project is part funded by Hyndburn Borough Council, Lancashire County Council and the European Regional Development Fund.