to Duct tape over neighbours dazzling driveway lights?

[thearty1]

Well..., DH did it actually, and I told him not to. He did it anyway, saying that their house lights were off. It was 10.15pm, and he didn't want to knock on their door if they were in bed.

The neighbours across the road from us, installed and had on for the first time, their new driveway lights, which are huge, bright blue leds, and very bright and dazzling.

When we step outside our door, it is so dazzling, I cant see anything else much, and from inside we have a blue glow to all rooms in the front half of the house. The lights shine through curtains (apart from the blackout ones).

I suppose I have to go and knock on their door now and explain that we did the Duck tape. I do not want to cause any resentment or make a fuss. Ive not actually ever met these neighbours, as they are not about very much, even though I know everyone in the other neighbouring houses.

The lights went off about 20 mins after DH duct taped them, and looking out this morning, the tape has gone!

Do you think they got the message, or do I have to go and admit it was us that did it?

joffrey this is the job of environmental health; if you cannot sleep due to neighbour's noise, lighting or whatever, call EH and they will come and take a look.

Aha ha has a bitter ha at environmental health sorting it out for you. They're understaffed, overworked, and when they eventually get to you, they will tell you to document it and keep a log while you suffer with it for ages.

I agree that it's the Environmental Health dept of your LA that you need to speak to (only if you can't resolve it with your neighbours first). Google Section 82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. You could take them to court yourselves using this, so there is a mechanism for resolving such disputes if you can't sort it out yourselves.

FWIW I sympathise with your husband. What is it with people who think they can get away with shining a bright light in to their neighbour's windows?

Hey nothing like being negative, eh?
You can ask EH to come out there and then- just like if there was noise at a a party. And obviously taking photos etc as evidence before you get in touch with them is a good idea.

A house round the corner to us put in these bright blue driveway lights last year they actually blinded as you drove down the road past the house. DH commented at the time that he would hate to live opposite them.
They were changed about 3 months after they must have been installed, probably because of complaints (they were actually a danger to motorists!)

Your neighbours, OP, have absolutely no idea what impact their lights have on your house. I would politely approach them and invite them around to illustrate your point.
Do they affect the people directly next door to you too?

"We've ended up having to swap the bedrooms over so we take the disturbed sleep hit as it was making the kids' room unuseable for them. They leave the bastard things on all night and it makes nighttime trips to the loo feel like you're taking a shit on the centre circle of a floodlit Old Trafford pitch."

Miaow Ha! You feel my pain! It's worst in our bathroom - you do feel like you have a drive full of coppers with the blue lights flashing, sometimes. What I don't get is why people would waste their £s on electricity for these Blackpool Illuminations in their gardens.

Maybe this whole lights thing looks minor to someone who's never suffered it. But it's no fun. I'm not calling EH - because I need to get them out for more serious stuff involving the deranged neighbours on the other side, so don't want to sic them onto my nice neighbours.

It's made worse here by the fact the council have given these houses no street lights, we're in the middle of nowhere, so at night it is super dark which somehow makes these lights far worse. But they are otherwise lovely neighbours - if a bit soft in the head - and I don't want to upset them, so it's blackout curtains for me!

Because the bloke is an electrician, I think he brings his work home with him. They even have a gargoyle thing on their house with red light-up eyes.

We had a problem with neighbours leaving their outside light on so it shone in our window all night. We had Venetian blinds and heavy lined curtains and I could still see to read. They refused to turn it off, we called EH they came out and told us the light wasn't bright enough! Add in their security light that came on every time a cat went past, and their chavvy flashing lights at Christmas and it was a fucking nightmare. I was so glad when we moved.

I don't understand why people need to light up the bloody street. They don't point the lights so they light up their own bedrooms. I can fully understand why the OP's husband did what he did.

YABU. Your DH is a twat. It wasn't that late, he should have woken them up.

We got a new driveway light and a neighbour knocked and politely explained it was disturbing her. We tilted the light and altered the brightness. It no longer disturbs her. This is how normal human beings interact.

Our NDR came around and asked about the dawn/dusk light that exP has asked me to put up. I was happy to change it back to the old one :)

OP you and your DH may like this, I did -
www.27bslash6.com/halogen.html

Kayden

It is how normal human beings react, but my NDN and I had 5 years of an uncompromising idiot with a spot light. It was eventually solved when my NDN moved and the new NDN's "son" spent every opportunity shooting it out with an air rifle.

Pink frocks, exoerience speaking. And when I shared the nightmare that were my upstairs neighbours, a lot of people shared their stories. Sadly, the only "positive" outcome I heard was after equipment was used, log kept, proof gathered was conclusive so they issued 3 warning letters. These were ignored. A £50 fine was issued. Neighbours paid and continued with the ridicilous noise. Environmental health shrugged and mumbled something about continuing the monitoring and "maybe" taking further legal action.

I'd have been very tempted to do what your DH did, but I'd have left a note as well. And maybe tried to use something that wasn't duct tape so that there was no chance of damaging the lights. I'm a really light sleeper so being in a room bathed with blue light would have kept me up all night.

Yes yes to this! I was just coming on to post it

www.27bslash6.com/halogen.html

Glogirl, that was funny but the guy is a bit of a wanker and is lucky his neighbour didn't press charges, as trespassing on private property is a criminal offence in the States (unlike the UK).

HeyDuggee I don't think he actually does most of those things......it's just a bit of fun.

What's the stuff about 'children with Down's syndrome' in those emails too?

They both sound like tools, tbh.

I think his reaction was a bit extreme. I'd like to know what happens next.

Boney I assume the first time the light was noticed, you approached him and asked politely. If the neighbour is an arse, then I can understand resorting to those measures. In the first instance, it's bizarre not to just ask.

I think YABU. Chances are you'd get used to the lights over time. We have a hotel behind our flat. They have their (big industrial) kitchen light on all night and it shines straight in through our bedroom window. You do get used to it after a while.

Kayden

The person in my case was approached many many times, by myself my NDN , the environmental health people, solicitors letters (it really was that bad).

So my post was really agreeing with you that normal people would find a compromise but some people are not willing to compromise and even when the various laws are brought in to deal with it are still dicks about it.

But I can see where the OP's DH is coming from.

BTW it's all sorted and fine now. The neighbour was more embarrassed than I was, and said that he didn't blame us at all for covering the lights up! They were so bright, that they blinded passing cars, and he realised this when he drove in after working a late shift that night!
All's well, that ends well!

Great to hear OP