Light pollution from neighbours

LED lighting in general is becoming a menace to both humans and animals.
The technology is being developed faster than laws can keep up with.

LED car headlights are horrendous! Has to drive on Christmas night and so, so blinding.

Oh yes, the bloody neighbours PIR the other side,goes off on wind,rain, animals! You can see the thing from outer space.

The house opposite mine has really bright security lights triggered by some sort of motion sensor. God knows what sort of motion sensor it is, because on windy nights they are on almost constantly, as opposed to just going on when a cat or fox strolls along the pavement.

They are so bright that I swear I could read a book by the light of them, even when my bedroom curtains are drawn.

I checked the price of a blackout blind, but it came to well over £100 and then I'd have to pay someone to come and fit it, which would probably be at least another £50. I don't think blackout curtain linings would work, because the curtains hang from a pole that is outside the window recess, so the light would still come through round the edges.

Put even brighter ones up !!

Smoke weed, everybody'll hate you !!!

Similar here, nice village, small road, a few street lights. New couple moved in last year opposite, security light on all night, now the neighbours each side do the same all night. We bought black out lining,DH,had to move the curtain track,there is still a bit of light coming thru,there's a tree outside our bedroom window (bungalow) and when it moves in the wind,it seems like the light is flashing. Used to ask nicely if they could turn it off, they did, but now they all do it, can't pick on one. The other is very seriously ill, only young, cancer,so we don't feel we can ask them. I've got silk eye masks now.

I came here this morning just to get things off my chest.
I live in a village which has housing estates plonked on it increasingly, courtesy of County Council and District Council and developers. One of the estates, nearest me, has been given huge windows and about 9 each of those cylinder-shaped outside lights, which seem increasingly popular, on all 4 walls of the house or bungalow.
I understand that light pollution is not a measurable commodity and that if it impinges on my enjoyment of a view then it is light pollution.
I had a row in the street, with the developer. I don't like to approach each of those dwellings and moan at them but I so wish they would take on board the harm which all this unnecessary lighting does.
I am in my 70s and I live in the same place that I lived as a baby, which can be a great drawback in some ways. I watch beautiful arable fields being destroyed all the time. I wish that there might be someone in government who will tell the councils that they must integrate some hedges and trees and green spaces in all the places where these massive numbers of new houses are to be built and that outside lights must be limited to a strict minimum, and all on time controls.

Sorry, I've gone away a bit from light pollution being a nuisance to childrens' sleep times but it is a safe place for me to vent.

Oh I feel for you. I'd absolutely hate this and would complain right up to the Head of Council, my MP, etc.

I’ve had this issue recently as on our estate they are building a new phase and part of that are three show houses about 100 m from our house across some greenery - they are floodlit up the front of the building from dusk til dawn. I asked them to put timer on to switch them off but so far they’ve only turned the light down - have had to get blackout curtains when I used to like waking up naturally to sunlight , it’s taking a lot to get used to !

Think you must live in my house!
Add in their fucking coffee machine grinding away at all hours. Sigh.
I have big plans to be as anti social as possible all summer.

The notion of consideration for others has totally left the building these days. Shame for those of us who still have some, any goodwill is being rapidly eroded!

the link that @MichaelAndEagle provided will be really helpful.

i don’t think that your neighbours have the right to light their garden in such a way that causes problems for you. I certainly don’t think you should have to get blackout blinds - that sounds totally unreasonable.

I hope you get things sorted out.

Could you set up a mirror contraption to reflect it back? 🤔

Sounds like a severe case of ‘lights on, nobody home’. Feel for you, OP.

^This. These bloody bright white headlights are dangerous. As a pedestrian they make it dangerous to cross a road, you're blinded and can't see both ways.

I agree there is no need to light up outdoor spaces with bloody bright white lamps all night. Dark is nice and restful. It's so unnecessary and wasteful and bad for birds.

We have neighbours who installed lights all along the edge of their garden. It is disturbing and looks like a sodding airport landing strip. Just why?! 😡

Yes those overly bright LED security lights pointing anywhere but the vicinity of properties drive me mad! People have 2 or 3 that go on and off all night when something sets them off.

Needs something to be done about LED lights in general, what with headlights as well.

A house over the back/to the side of us has the kitchen light on all night every night. Shines straight into our bedroom window. Ok I have a Venetian blind that I can close but I can’t for the life of me work out why a bright kitchen light would need to be on all night. Every. Night.

Thanks for this - I have problems with my neighbours too with their bloody flood light on every night!

I got so cross with the standard “buy a blockout blind’ response. So selfish.

Same here. Neighbours who back on to me are 'the sort' who have a covid-era garden office that they never use and is full of crap and floodlights etc. The irony is that with the extension they added to their house also during the pandemic there is no access to their garden other than through their own house. So there is no security issue. So I've no idea why they need the ultra bright lights. More money than sense, as my Dad used to say.

@Soontobe60 I doubt it. Most lights are LEDs now, which cost very little to run.

I think you're going to need black out blinds or curtains as even if they agree to turn them off at a 'reasonable ' time, that's more likely to be 10/11pm rather than a child's bedtime.

Light pollution is becoming a real issue - we live near businesses who have massive floodlights which you can see from miles away - we're in a rural village! Thankfully, they don't directly impact our house.

They must be really selfish and thick skinned. Hopefully when they get their electricity bill they'll tone it down and you and nature can enjoy the darkness again.

They don't.

My conclusion is people just love buying stuff. Consumerism is out of control and there is a constant push for more and more tat. Gardens are awful now. Trends towards making it an outdoor living room instead of an actual garden with plants. It's all lights and outdoor bars and fake grass and fucking hot tubs. Which are all in your face for neighbours. Oh and fucking wind chimes. I may commit murder this summer 🙈

Can you tell I'm menopausal and fucked off with the world? 😆

Have you got light-blocking curtains? If not get some
Do you keep curtains open at night - we do as we have a glass wall and no blinds/nets/cutains as we are not over-looked but if we had a probleme like that we'd buy some nice light blocking curtains they do work

Have other people not complained?