Proposals to turn street lights off and leave parks unlocked could “fuel crime”.

Ingrid Posen, chairman of Friends of Childs Hill Park, warned the move would end up costing more than it saved in the long run.

A working group of Barnet Borough Council’s environment committee discussed the ideas last week.

Members were briefed that £125,000 could be saved by turning lamp posts in residential streets off, and that leaving parks unlocked at night could save £85,000 a year.

Mrs Posen said it was a “short-sighted idea”.

She said: “They would have to look into it very carefully. Energy saving lights and dimming lights are a better idea.”

Mrs Posen, who lives in Dunstan Road, Golders Green, said unlocked parks would create "a nuisance”.

She added: “They would be used for burglary and drug taking. There are a lot of reasons why it’s sensible to keep them locked at night.

“It seems to me a very trivial saving. The benefits we get with reduced trouble far outweighs employing people to go round locking the parks.”

Maureen West, chairman of Neighbourhood Watch in Barnet, said that although she could not see the proposals being accepted by the council, it would be a big mistake if they were.

She said: “It’s something that would be really frightening. They would have to think this through very, very carefully. It would be easy for muggings, as all the cameras would be obsolete. You have got to have visibility at night.”

Mrs West said many people had got in touch opposing the suggestions.

She said: “I sent out an email, and within minutes people were replying. Everybody is against it and all say the same thing. Eighty five per cent were women, who would feel they couldn’t go out at night.

“One person lived in a place where they switched off the street lights, and they said it was terrible. It was pretty horrendous, as they didn’t feel safe.”

Rachel Griffin, director of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, a charity which campaigns on safety issues, said: “Cutbacks in budget should not take priority over the confidence of the individuals to live their lives fully and safety. It is essential that when local councils are making these decisions they are thinking of the safety of the residents who are being kept in the dark.”

A council spokesman said: “The council needs to make further savings of £72 million a year by 2020. As part of this, the environment committee has agreed to make savings of £5.9 million savings a year by the end of the decade.

“No decisions have been taken. The cross party working groups are not decision making bodies, they are designed to allow Members to debate and ask questions about potential options before they go to council committees for formal agreement, pending full public consultation.”

The ideas will be discussed by the environment committee in November.