THE lights went out at local council headquarters in Newtown St Boswells this weekend.

Scottish Borders Council encouraged members of the public to support Earth Hour 2012 by switching off their lights for one hour between 8.30pm and 9.30pm on Saturday, March 31.

Earth Hour is supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and is a simple idea that has quickly turned into a global phenomenon. Hundreds of millions of people are turning off their lights for one hour on the same night all across the planet.

The action is about appreciating the world we all share and recognising the need to protect it - not just for an hour a year, but every day.

The timing of this event links in well with the launch of SBC's brand new TREADlightly environmental awareness campaign.

Julie Rankine, Waste Strategy and Campaign Manager, said: "This new campaign is aimed at all SBC staff and buildings, and encourages increased efficiency and reduced wastage in relation to three key themes - energy and water, waste and recycling, and travel and transport.

"Supporting Earth Hour this year helps us to kick off our campaign with the first theme, energy."