BRIGHT sparks at a Worcester school are slashing thousands of pounds off their electricity bills thanks to innovative lights.

Bishop Perowne CE High School installed special movement sensitive light bulbs last summer.

Since then, the Merriman's Hill Road school's £15,000 annual electricity bill has started to tumble.

Now, staff hope to recoup a £3,000 grant from British Gas and Worcestershire County Council within 18 months, through savings alone.

Movement

The innovative light system relies on infra-red beams criss-crossing dozens of classrooms.

When a room is being used, movement keeps the lights on. But the beams are cut as soon as the classroom empties, automatically turning off the lights.

Energy saving lights have been installed in all 50 of the school's classrooms with corridors and workshops retaining a conventional system for safety reasons.

"It works almost in the opposite way to a burglar alarm and turns off almost as soon as the classroom is empty," explained the school's support services manager Jeremy Datson.

"We believe the total cost of the grant will be saved within 18 months.

"For a school with an annual electricity bill of £15,000, it's a tremendous saving and we've already seen that coming through this year.

"The light system is a permanent feature and we're looking forward to cutting even more off our electricity bills in the future.

"Energy bills tend to take a large chunk of a school's resources so this is the perfect way to try and save money and educate children on energy conservation at the same time."

Dirk Vennix, communications manager for British Gas, said it was important young people developed good energy practices.

"Everyone at Bishop Perowne deserves all the praise in the world for its work in improving efficiency," he said.