Road safety campaigners have warned of a greater risk of road accidents after a stretch of the M6 in Lancashire became the latest motorway to have its lights turned off.

The Highways Agency says that the move has been made to save money and carbon emissions and will help to stop light pollution though critics argue that road accidents are more common on unlit stretches of road.

One in five councils are turning off street lamps in the early hours to save money and more are expected to follow suit.

The Highways Agency admits that the risk of accidents will increase but claims the risk is so small it equates to one additional accident every 25 years.

Andy Withington, from the Agency said: “This is the seventh site in England and we expect it to work as successfully as everywhere else, achieving up to a 40% saving in carbon emissions and energy use as well as giving local communities reduced light pollution of the night sky.”