Trial of city lasers to go ahead

The lasers would be fired at night from the clock towers

Plans for a £250,000 scheme to light up the skies above Southampton have moved a step closer after the council gave the go-ahead for trials of the lasers.

The Southampton Laser Gateway will feature four lasers fired at night from the city centre clock tower.

The project is being opposed by environmental groups who claim it could harm wildlife and add to pollution.

The council has agreed for trials of the lasers to be carried out in April pending an environmental study.

Lighthouse effect

The trials are expected to cost about £5,000.

Southampton City Council said the lasers, which would be 2.7mm (one ninth of an inch) in diameter and be visible for up to 15 miles (24km), would be in keeping with Southampton's maritime tradition, giving the visual effect of a lighthouse.

But Friends of the Earth, the New Forest National Park, astronomical societies, members of the public and some councillors have objected to the idea.

The £250,000 grant for the project was awarded to the city council by The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).