Firstly, thousands of the older lamp posts are in a poor condition and need to be replaced. Older designs throw light in all directions and do not meet modern illumination standards and orange light makes it more difficult to see colours at night.The new white lighting directs light on to the road and pavements helping to reduce traffic accidents, crime, and the fear of crime, leading to safer streets.

The works will be carried out by SSE Enterprise Lighting in partnership with Dorset County Council, after securing a 25 year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract. SSE Enterprise Lighting is the largest Street Lighting Contractor in the country and is part of the SSE Group.

In the next few days the new positions for the lamp posts will be marked on the public highway, normally by a yellow circle. The positions of the new lamp posts have been designed to guarantee the correct levels of illumination and better consistency on the road.

It is impossible to install the new lamp posts and electricity supply cables without digging some holes. However, we will try to dig as few as possible and fill them back in as soon as we can. Our engineers use barriers, signs, cones and even traffic lights if necessary, for safety. Please make sure you follow all these signs.

Obviously, you cannot park where our workmen are digging. We will, however, try to keep as much parking space available as possible.

You should be able to use your drive as normal unless we are working directly outside your house. If we are,we may have to ask you to park your car somewhere else for a while. If you need to park close to your home (for example because you have a disability) please speak to one of our workmen and they will help you.

If the road is busy or particularly narrow we may have to use traffic lights. This is for your safety as well as that of our workforce. We take great care positioning the lights and work closely with the council at all times.

Refuse and recycling collections should take place as normal. If necessary we will move dustbins to a single collection point clear of our work and return them once emptied.

If you are expecting a delivery speak to one of the workmen. If you run a business, one of our supervisors will contact you before work starts to discuss the access you need and when you need it. If no one has contacted you and you are concerned please ring our customer service team on 0800 068 4145.

The underground electricity cables need to be disconnected from the old lamp posts and reconnected to the new ones. We try to do this within a few days but it may take a little longer. Once we have finished our work the old lamp posts can be removed.We will not leave the street in darkness.

There should be no disruption to the electricity supply in your home during the works.

The new lighting has been designed to meet the requirements of the new British Standard and the specification of Dorset County Council.The new lantern and lamp technology enables more efficient designs to be produced which use less electricity and provide a high standard of lighting. The position of some lamp posts may therefore change.

The height of the new lamp posts on most of the residential streets may increase slightly, this is due to new modern lanterns which control the light much better than the existing lanterns, resulting in greater spacing between the columns and less street furniture. The lamp posts on main residential roads and traffic routes can increase depending on the importance of the road and the traffic flow.

Once the new lamp posts have been installed, SSE Enterprise Lighting will lay the supply cables, connect the new lighting and disconnect the old lighting at the same time. The old lamp posts can then be removed and the footpath reinstated.

SSE Enterprise Lighting do not send anything to landfill. The existing lamp posts, both steel and concrete are completely recycled.

The lighting is designed to ensure that we meet the current British Standard and specification of Dorset County Council. This means that lamp posts cannot always be replaced in their existing locations.We do offer to check the layout design and if there is an alternative convenient position, we will consider an approach from residents to relocate the column before it is erected.

We will design the lighting in accordance to the current British Standard and specification of Dorset County Council. This may result in fewer lamp posts along the street and we cannot always replace them in the original positions, therefore the benefit cannot always be retained.

The new lanterns have much better optical control than the old ones. It takes time to adjust to a new night time environment and this issue tends to diminish with time. However, should the matter cause you concern then we can discuss this with you.

The replacement works normally start three to four weeks after you receive this information and are usually completed within two weeks.