energy generating bus-stops are helping York lead the way in conservation.

Hi-tech solar panels have appeared on the top of city bus stands, catching the sun's rays and converting them into electricity.

The space-age addition features on three city stops - outside Marks & Spencer in Pavement, in St Leonard's Place and in Station Rise.

The electricity is used to power a lamp at the stops.

And, if they prove popular, they could become a common aspect of bus stops across the city.

Matthew Ward, a transport planner for City of York Council, said: "We were getting complaints from people not able to see timetables in the dark, and we had concern for passengers' personal security and the possibility that drivers would not be able to see them.

"We could have used mains electricity for lights, but we wanted to look at something different. This is using some of the most up-to-date technology around."

The technology is the same as that is used by the U.S. Army.

A button at the bus stop activates the light for about five minutes.

The introduction of the solar panel lights ties in with the city playing host to PlanetYork, a year-long project to make York the most energy efficient city in the UK.

The aim received a further boost as the Tang Hall-based Friends of St Nicholas Fields won a prestigious award for energy efficiency.

The EuroSolar Prize, sponsored by the European Commission, receives entries from across Europe.

St Nicholas Fields won the highly commended prize for its Environment Centre, the first completely sustainable public building in the UK.

Project co-ordinator Gordon Campbell Thomas said: "If our children and our children's children are to have a future, then it is up to us to start today, which is what we are doing at St Nick's."

Updated: 16:07 Tuesday, November 20, 2001