HOUSING estates and villages could be plunged into darkness under a £1.6m cost-cutting proposal put forward by Wiltshire County Council.

The cuts, designed to save on the council's environmental services budget, would see street lighting limited to A and B roads, gritting on A roads only and the scrapping of subsidies for Sunday and evening bus services.

The parish lengthsman scheme, introduced only last year to carry out routine roads maintenance, would also face the axe.

The measures, put forward this week, immediately came under fire from councillors and residents.

Romy Wyeth, chairman of Codford Parish Council, said villages did not get a fair deal as it was, and the proposed cuts would make it worse.

She said: "The villages are the poorer relation. They paythe same as everybody else.

"I hope when they come to discuss the money they will look seriously at what they're doing and think about the consequences for the rural communities.

"We don't get a great deal except lighting, and gritting is very important if people are going to get to work."

Trowbridge town councillor Graham Hedley, who works closely with residents on the Studley Green and Walwayne estates, said: "It would mean the vulnerable people on the estates would be even more at risk, especially the elderly."

The cost-cutting proposals were unveiled by the county council's director of environmental services Richard Lander.

He said turning off the street lights on minor roads and housing estates would save £530,000 a year; scrapping the parish lengthsman scheme £450,000; and limiting winter gritting to A roads £100,000. Scrapping maintenance of cycleways would save £75,000 and subsidies to bus services on Sundays and evenings, £225,000.

Members of the council's environment advisory panel, which met on Wednesday, said the proposed cuts were unacceptable.

Cllr Fleur de Rhe Philipe, chairman of the panel, said she would urge the council's cabinet to find more money for environmental services when it decides the budget in January.

She said: "I shall be telling them the department needs more funds and it is as simple as that."

Cllr Brian Attfield, who represents Cricklade and Purton, said it was ridiculous to switch off street lights.

He said: "It's a diabolical situation. Once parishes realise you intend to switch off street lights it will be tantamount to a revolution."

The county council is to lobby the Government after receiving a below-average rise in the level of funding for essential services next year. The council will receive £192m, a rise of 5.4 per cent on last year, when the average raise was 7.4 per cent.