A consortium of John Laing and Skanska has beaten off competition to win Surrey County Council's £65.5m street lighting private finance initiative (PFI) deal, in one of the longest run PFI procurements.

The scheme, advertised in 2004, chose a shortlist of three bidders - John Laing/Skanska, Balfour Beatty; and Vinci - in 2005. 

A spokesman said the procurement took time to complete as the deal was "so complex."

The huge scheme involves replacing 74,000 of the county's streetlights over a five-year period from 2010 to 2015. The full maintenance contract will extend for 25 years.

The new lights have been designed to be brighter and will cut down on light pollution, by using the latest technology.