THOSE of us of a certain age who might recall singer Don McLean's ode to a tragic artist will agree that it has been some time since there was a truly starry, starry night over Worcestershire. Light pollution now obliterates much of the sky during the hours of darkness, and we are all undoubtedly the poorer for this enforced sensory deprivation.

So what are we to make of Worcestershire County Council's idea to switch off certain rural areas during the night? It certainly fits in with current sensibilities and the added cash benefits undoubtedly provide the cherry at the top of this particular environmental cake.

However, the snag is this. Light pollution is more associated with large centres of population - Worcestershire folk need only look towards the north west to witness the fiery glow caused by the good people of Brummagem. And if we are actually talking of economies, will the estimated £300,000 of taxpayers' money translate into rebates of any kind? Somehow, we very much doubt it.

This newspaper has no quarrel with the notion of saving energy. Everyone must do their bit, particularly in this era of global waming and climate change. Nevertheless, we have some very real misgivings about this scheme. After all, darkness is a gift for the criminally-inclined and rural crime shows no likelihood of diminishing in the forseeable future.

But first, the villagers themselves will be canvassed for their views. And that's fine - we should indeed err on the side of caution.