Lights go out as Castle joins big switch-off across Europe

EDINBURGH Castle is set to be plunged into darkness this evening when the floodlighting is switched off as part of a Europe-wide event.

Major landmarks across the continent are also taking part, including the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and Pantheon in Rome, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Foreign Office building in London and Athens' Lycabettus Hill and City Hall.

The five-minute "lights out" from 6pm is part of an energy-saving event to mark the third anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol coming into force.

A spokesman for Friends of the Earth said: "This a great symbolic gesture to raise awareness of climate change and we hope it gets noticed by the people of Edinburgh and in other cities around the world.

"While the act itself won't do very much to tackle climate change, it will at least highlight the issue.

"It's important to realise that there are very few buildings around the world that are heavily illuminated in this fashion with electric lighting, but what's more important is that we cut down on needless lighting in other places and in our day-to-day lives."

Barbara Smith, executive manager at the Castle, said that it took part in a wide range of energy saving initiatives.