WORK could begin this year on modernising more than 4,000 streetlights in the county after almost £13m extra cash was announced.

The money from the Department for Transport (DfT) will also include work to improve Oxfordshire’s roads’ resilience to flooding and drainage problems.

All streetlights in the county more than 30 years old will be replaced with an LED system that is more cost effective and energy efficient.

Oxford city’s two oldest streetlights are in Church Way, Iffley which have stood since the 1950s, and will both be replaced in the next three years.

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David Penwarden, 82, from Iffley helped choose the design for the other streetlights in the village when they were replaced in 1993.

He said: “It’s great to see that two of the original lights installed in the village in the 1950s are still in use.

“It would be good if modernisation could occur without changing the design too much.

“In 1993 we spent hours looking at designs before choosing the current look – being in the heart of the village and outside the old thatched cottage, I would hope the same process takes place.”

Acting chairwoman of community group Friends of Iffley Village Caroline Pond said: “If they are 60 to 70 years old they tend to rust and become unstable so we can’t complain. All good things come to an end – as long as the council chooses a style that is consistent with the ambience and atmosphere of the neighbourhood.”

Each year the council spends about £500,000 replacing 600 streetlights in the county – but it said in its bid to the Government that it needs to replace 1,600 a year “to keep pace with the rate of deterioration.”

A £3.6m Government contribution will enable an extra 4,300 streetlights to be replaced by 2018.

Work will start this financial year with a potential spend on street lighting improvements of £1m in 2015/16.

The council is one of 31 across the country to receive grant funding from the DfT’s £275m Challenge Fund – which was set up for councils to bid for one-off major infrastructure schemes.

The fund will see £5m of Government money go towards improving the edges of roads connecting urban and rural communities – £3.3m spent on improving drainage on the county’s highways and £1m put towards resurfacing projects.

No specific sites have been identified by the council yet but it will assess appropriate locations in the coming weeks.

County council board member for transport David Nimmo Smith said: “This is very welcome news. We have until 2018 to spend the money awarded and I look forward to more modern street lighting and improved highway drainage in various parts of Oxfordshire.”