The leader of a parish council wants his town to the be the first to turn its streetlights back on.

Last week Essex County Council announced that parish and town councils in Epping Forest can fund their own street lights to be kept on throughout the night.

While the county council has not yet announced how much the switch-on will officially cost the tax payer, Chigwell Parish Council chairman Darshan Sungar is keen to keep the town illuminated all night.

He said: "It is something that we have been fighting for.

"Given the amount of burglaries we have, we feel it is safer with the lights on.

"We want to be the first. It is something that we think the residents will welcome."

Cllr Sungar said it would cost around £13,200 to keep Chigwell's lights on all night, an amount he hoped would be taken from the council's reserves.

A motion relating to the streetlights has been added to the agenda for Wednesday's full council meeting.