Neighbours light pollution

[JDM625]

A house across the road and up one renovated and had shrubs removed from their front garden. We've noticed 2 lights which are on from dusk till dawn which shine into our spare bedroom. They look like regular outdoor lights, but are so incredibly bright and akin to the brightness of lights on a sports field.I don't know if they are new or previously obscured by their shrubs.

Our next door neighbour, who directly faces this house, asked if they could turn the lights off at night or put them on a sensor, but the husband told her to F off and slammed the door. We recently had guests and despite the black out curtains, the room as illuminated all night by their lights.

We've previously swapped Christmas cards with the house in question and although we rarely talk, had no issues at all. DH went around to ask about the lights and the wife told him to go away, before the husband came up behind and slammed the door. If relevant, they are late 70's and our direct neighbour is mid 80's.

DH thinks if I go around, I might get further. Personally, I doubt it will make a difference and want to put a complaint into the council. What would you do?

thank god you clarified! I was thinking it was a bit harsh!

Paint the lamp glass black. A few coats should do the trick.

Glad you're sure about that, when according to Gov't website info posted upstream:

How artificial light nuisances are assessed
When looking into complaints about potential light nuisances, councils can assess one or more of the following:

• whether it interferes with the use of a property
• whether it may affect health
• how it’s likely to affect the average person (unusual sensitivities are not included)
• how often it happens
• how long it lasts
• when it happens
• whether it’s in the town or country

There are no set levels for light to be considered a statutory nuisance.

What is your advice then? Should OP complain to the council then have to disclose a neighbour dispute when they try to sell their house?
Going nuclear often isn't the best solution when there are options for a win/win solution.

Might it affect drivers as well?

I had an issue with a light that shone straight into your face near Shaftesbury & reported it to Highways who took action.

They have quite a lot of power if they choose to use it.

Similar issue here, new neighbor has decided to put ginormous fairy lights all around their back garden. Really bright, makes zero sense. They are not even in their garden. The only people who can see them are the neighbors?

🤔

Easy.
Buy an air gun.

My advice is what I already posted if you actually read the thread get a bigger more annoying light that shines directly into their home

We are next to a depot with big flood lights on all night for security. We have blackout blinds and I wear an eye mask (recommend a silk one). Very effective and never bothers me.

Irritating, I’d go with my alternative suggestion of shining a bright flashy light at their house. I do think it’s also something to do with the colour of light.
I bought these bright white v cold bulbs without thinking and they are horrendous. I replaced them with warm white which is a soft yellow at the same strength and they are fine. There was nothing technically wrong with the bulbs so I’m using them in the utility but honestly I have to steel myself to walk in as the light offends me

To completely black out a window you need a cassette roller blind. It has side channels that attach to the walls and the blind edges are encased inside so there is absolutely no light seepage.

The most well known brand is Bloc blinds, there are others.

https://www.blocblinds.co.uk/blocout

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Need to think about it from a wildlife POV too - birds and bats are badly affected by bright lights and certainly in planning applications consideration is given to planned lighting and how it might impact bats and other species.

To the PP who quoted GOV.UK guidance (and who seems to have a chip on their shoulder about bright lights which makes me wonder if they have been the subject of a complaint themselves) - I would say that a bright light that shines into a bedroom is potentially a health issue if it stops someone sleeping.

It’s not for the person being lit up by a neighbour’s new lights to put in blackout blinds, wear a sleep mask etc. Fine if you have bright streetlights etc outside, that’s just part of life, but a new light from a neighbouring property should not adversely affect sleep. If it’s on every night and it’s bright enough to impact sleep when there were no problems before, it’s a problem. I would absolutely complain to the council.

Who wants to be effectively blindfolded in bed though, I can’t bear those eye masks, same with those overnight gloves, they always get taken off in your sleep

Consider you AND your neighbour are both having issues with the light from this other neighbour. If you both buy powerful lights and point them at this house you will get double the effectiveness. You dont negotiate with people who tell you to eff off

Would you really?

Would you really?

This is what I was going to say. We moved into a rental house on the edge of a village, on an unadopted lane with no streetlighting, and were driven crazy for the first night or two by our own blinding 'security' lights, which were triggered everytime a fox, badger etc crossed the garden (which they did a lot, as we were close to a badger sett which was also used by foxes). We turned them off, obviously, as soon as we realised, but it must have been incredibly bad for wildlife as well as unbearable for the neighbours. We had fairly sturdy curtains, but they were no use against these stadium-style lights.

it seems as though the couple in question are nasty cunts. I would therefore get the highquality black out blinds that pp has linked. I’d probably have blackout curtains as well.

Possibly. I have these outdoor lights that have slides for Christmas / Halloween and they point at my house normally they are irritating though as they flicker / change I’d start with those as pre existing and upgrade if they didn’t take the hint.

I do live in the middle of nowhere so no neighbours to contend with. So perhaps I lack normal social niceties. They clearly give no fucks though so you may as well.

Ah ... they are caged in glass ... could you stroll by with a spray can of black paint?! 😀

And that works how to remedy the situation?

I have a strong on/off security light in my back garden. It angles downwards towards the garden but I often wonder whether it annoys the neighbours at the back.

I wouldn't remove it, but if they asked me I would probably try to find a solution to try to help if they told me they didn't like it, maybe angle down more or reduce the height. Maybe they could replace the screening trees they cut down in their garden too.

I wouldn't tell them to eff off though and I suspect that people that did could not be reasoned with.

I think you can complain to your local council service if it's causing an issue and the neighbours aren't interested in talking.

Get a few mirrors and refelct the light back at their house - make it their problem to deal with!

Also get some CCTV incase they decide to attack the mirros rather than slightly angle down their lights!

For them to realise how annoying and intrusive it is