Hundreds of lamp-posts in Battersea Park will be upgraded with eco-friendly LED light bulbs to help the council meet its carbon reduction targets.

As well as using less energy and therefore offering lower running costs, the LED lights also last longer than traditional bulbs and so will deliver additional savings on maintenance and replacement costs.

As part of the project all the park’s heritage style lamp-posts will be refurbished and repainted.

The scheme will take about 12 weeks to complete and is being carried out as part of a £340,000 investment in the park’s infrastructure.

The lighting upgrade will also help ensure that Battersea Park remains a safe place for visitors during the hours of darkness. This is especially important for the many people who walk through the park to and from work.

LED bulbs have already been fitted to more than 18,000 street lights across the borough and to the more than 3,000 on Wandsworth’s housing estates.

Wandsworth’s climate change and sustainability spokesman Cllr Kim Caddy said: “These eco-friendly LEDs are not only much more energy efficient when compared to traditional lightbulbs but they last a lot longer too. And because they use much less energy they will help us meet our climate change targets by reducing our carbon emissions.”

And parks and open spaces spokesman Cllr Steffi Sutters added: “I’m delighted that Battersea Park’s heritage lamp-posts are being refurbished and restored to their former glory. It is important as custodians of the park that we protect and preserve these important historical features for future generations.

“And the reduction in their running and maintenance costs will free up money in our parks budgets that could be spent on other open space improvements.”