LIGHTS on a six-mile stretch of motorway between Walmersley and Simister have been permanently switched off.

The carriageway is one of three selected by the Highways Agency to reduce carbon emissions and light pollution.

Lights on the M66 between Junctions One and Four were turned off for good on Tuesday. The other two stretches were the M58 from Junctions Four to Six and the M65 Junctions Seven to 10.

The agency says the stretches of motorway have a good safety record. Following careful assessment, analysis indicated that the lights can be switched off without increasing risks to road user safety. Under a revised standard for lighting on England’s motorways and major A roads introduced in 2007, lights would not be installed at these sites if the existing lighting was due to be replaced — or if the sites were opening as new.

Derek Turner, director for the Highways Agency, said: “Since 2009, we’ve switched lighting off between the hours of midnight and 5am on 13 carefully selected stretches of motorways and evidence so far indicates that switching off the lights hasn’t had an impact on safety.“