Cash for the installation of hi-tech lights - expected to be in the region of £300,000 - is in place, thanks to grants from Railway Heritage Trust and development agency One NorthEast.

However, the question of who will pay the annual running costs of between £3000 and £5000 a year was raised at Berwick Town Council's environment and regeneration committee.

Running costs will include an annual electricity bill of an estimated £3000, a licence from the Crown Estates to secure a power cable to the river bed of £1000 and a licence from Network Rail to secure the power cable to the bridge, which would also cost £1000 a year.

Tim Kirton, Northumberland County Council's senior projects officer for the north of the county, said that for the first two years of their operation, the unitary authority had agreed to underwrite the revenue costs of the lights for a sum of up to £5000.

"The county council commitment is to underwrite and they have asked that we continue the search for alternative sources of funding from wherever we can," he said.

Mr Kirton said rumours that annual running costs could be as much as £50,000 were not true.

Coun Clive Routledge questioned: "After those first two years, what happens if there is no revenue funding?"

Mr Kirton said a number of sources of funding were being sought, including approaches to the community arms of supermarkets Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and the Co-op.

And he stated: "There is no expectation for the town council to pick up the bill for this. We would welcome any support, but we are not going to turn around and say the town council should pay for it."

Committee chairman, Coun John Robertson, reminded members that the town council had put on record its support for the Royal Border Bridge illumination project.

Mr Kirton said that if everything went according to plan, a 40-day tender period would begin next week and once a contractor was appointed, installation of the lights would be completed within six weeks.

However, Coun Alan Bowlas voiced his concern that while this project was progressing, lights on the new road bridge, which had been installed to celebrate the millennium, were in urgent need of repair.

Mr Kirton explained that the two projects were entirely separate and that the millennium lighting on the new road bridge came under the county highways department.

"The highways and transport department advises that there is dedicated funding available for the restoration of the millennium lighting scheme," he said.