Firstly, thousands of our older lampposts are in a poor condition and need to be replaced. Older designs throw light in all directions and do not meet modern illumination standards. Orange light makes it more difficult to see true 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 Contracting in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Council. SSE Contracting is the largest Street Lighting contractor in the country and is part of the Scottish and Southern Energy Group.

In the next few days the new position for the lampposts will be marked on the public highway, normally by a white circle with SL in the centre.The position of the new lamppost has been designed to guarantee high levels of illumination.

It is impossible to install the new lampposts and electricity supply cables without digging some holes. 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 engineers 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 engineers carrying out the work 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 official at all times.

Bin collection 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 engineers 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 328 7709.

The underground electricity cables need to be disconnected from the old lampposts and reconnected to the new ones.We try to do this within a few days but it may take a little longer as we must ask E-on to do this. Once they have finished their work the old lampposts 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. This along with new developments in lantern and lamp technology means we can light the highway using less lampposts and less energy but to a higher standard than at present.

The height of the new lampposts on most of the residential streets have increased 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 clutter.The lampposts on main residential roads and traffic routes can increase from between three to five metres depending on the road usage.

Once the new lampposts and supply cables have been installed, E-on will connect the new lighting and disconnect the old lighting. The old lampposts can then be removed and the footpath repaired.

We will replace or re-seed turfed areas and flower beds if we disturb them(depending on the time of year).This may not take place until after we have left site. If we dig up your drive we will repair it using similar materials to the original. If you have a block imprint drive we will use specialist contractors to match the colours and repair the surface.

SSE Contracting do not send anything to landfill.The existing lampposts, both steel and concrete are completely recycled.

The lighting is designed to ensure that we meet the current British Standard.This means that lamposts cannot always be replaced in their original position. We do offer to check the layout design to see if there is scope to move a lamppost.We can carry out a site visit where required and most of the time we reach an amicable agreement on the positioning of the lamppost.

We will install the new lampposts in accordance to the current British Standard. This may result in less lampposts.We cannot always replace them in the original positions and therefore the benefit cannot always be retained.

The replacement works normally start two to three weeks after you receive this information and is usually completed within two weeks. For more information on the scheduling of the works please contact our customer service team on 0800 328 7709 or visit lightsoninstoke@ssecontracting.com

The new lighting has much better optical control than the old lighting. Once installed, if you are unable to get used to the new lighting, we can consider fitting a louver to the lantern which will reduce the amount of light on your property.