Street lights across the county have had their night-time orange glow transformed into brighter, more energy-efficient lights as part of a replacement scheme by Surrey County Council.

Under the plans, nearly 90,000 bulbs have been replaced, with the scheme now on course to finish almost one year ahead of schedule.

The roll-out of new lamps is due to be completed by April 2014 after contractors Skanska and John Laing fitted 11,000 more bulbs than intended at this stage in the project.

Walton High Street was among the roads to benefit from the new bulbs, which is expected to save £12m in the next 25 years.

John Furey, Surrey County Council’s cabinet member for transport and environment, said: “Being streets ahead of schedule on such a massive project - one of the biggest of its kind in the country – is brilliant news.

“Finishing a year early will be a glowing endorsement of our partnership approach to illuminating Surrey’s night sky with a brighter, whiter energy efficient light and we’ll continue pulling together as one team to make that final push.

“The benefits of these lights, which provide big savings for the pocket and the environment, are already being enjoyed by tens of thousands of residents across Surrey and soon that orange glow will be a thing of the past for all our residents.”