A system to drive light emitting diodes (LEDs) comprising: a string of LEDs coupled across a voltage source (mains) configured to provide an alternating input voltage, the string of LEDs comprising a plurality of separate groups of LEDs, each group comprising a first and a last LED connected in series; a plurality of switch circuits (Sw1-SwN; 200), each of the switch circuits (Sw1-SwN; 200) comprising a switch coupled in parallel with an associated one of the groups of LEDs to control current flow through the associated group of LEDs in response to a control signal from a controller circuit (control); wherein the controller circuit (control) is configured to generate the control signal so as to match an instantaneous magnitude of the input voltage provided by the voltage source (mains) to a voltage drop across non-shorted LEDs of the string of LEDs; the system being characterised in that it further comprises: a switch protection circuit associated with at least one of the switches, wherein the switch protection circuit is configured to place the at least one of the switches into a conducting state in the event of failure of an LED in the associated group of LEDs, wherein the failure places the LED into an open state; and a plurality of steering circuits each coupled between each associated one and its subsequent one of the groups of LEDs, wherein each steering circuit comprises a first steering diode being connected in series between the first LEDs of the associated one and the subsequent one of the groups of LEDs, and a second steering diode being connected in opposite polarity with respect to the first steering diode in series between the last LEDs of the associated one and the subsequent one of the groups of LEDs. a string of LEDs coupled across a voltage source (mains) configured to provide an alternating input voltage, the string of LEDs comprising a plurality of separate groups of LEDs, each group comprising a first and a last LED connected in series; a plurality of switch circuits (Sw1-SwN; 200), each of the switch circuits (Sw1-SwN; 200) comprising a switch coupled in parallel with an associated one of the groups of LEDs to control current flow through the associated group of LEDs in response to a control signal from a controller circuit (control); wherein the controller circuit (control) is configured to generate the control signal so as to match an instantaneous magnitude of the input voltage provided by the voltage source (mains) to a voltage drop across non-shorted LEDs of the string of LEDs; the system being characterised in that it further comprises: a switch protection circuit associated with at least one of the switches, wherein the switch protection circuit is configured to place the at least one of the switches into a conducting state in the event of failure of an LED in the associated group of LEDs, wherein the failure places the LED into an open state; and a plurality of steering circuits each coupled between each associated one and its subsequent one of the groups of LEDs, wherein each steering circuit comprises a first steering diode being connected in series between the first LEDs of the associated one and the subsequent one of the groups of LEDs, and a second steering diode being connected in opposite polarity with respect to the first steering diode in series between the last LEDs of the associated one and the subsequent one of the groups of LEDs.