The UK Highways Agency is switching off and removing motorway lighting to reduce carbon emissions and light pollution - and save money.

The M1 motorway at junction 11, north Luton, where highway lighting will be removed. [UK Highways Agency]

The agency will permanently shut off and take out motorway lighting on Bedfordshire sections of the M1 motorway, a north-south road in England that connects London to Leeds. This will reduce heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, by lessening the electricity draw from the power grid.

"Following a careful assessment, analysis shows that the lights can be switched off on stretches of the motorway between junctions 10 (Luton) and 13 (Milton Keynes) without affecting road user safety," the agency said in a statement Wednesday.

Junctions which are already lit will remain lit throughout the night, even if the lights on the main carriageway are switched off and columns removed, the agency said.

"We anticipate achieving an annual reduction in carbon emissions on this M1 stretch of about 810 tonnes," estimated Derek Turner, director for the Highways Agency. "Local communities will also benefit from reduced light pollution of the night sky."

To date, the Highways Agency has switched off lighting at 14 sites on nine motorways across the country for a total of 47.4 miles where lighting is no longer used.

"Since 2009 we've switched lighting off between the hours of midnight and 5 am on 14 carefully selected stretches of motorways," said Turner, "and evidence so far indicates that switching off the lights hasn't had an impact on safety."

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