Security Light

[cuivenion]

Well I'm off to have a polite chat with my neighbours about their security light, wish me luck!

[DaveS]

Good luck, let us know how you got on.

[DazC]

Good luck.

Hope it works.

D.C

[Tinker1947]

Hope it goes well.....

[strutsinaction]

Good luck! A polite request should do the trick.

I'm trying a similar tack with my local garden centre who rather annoyingly keep their very bright floodlights on all night long!

Regards

John

[Charic]

Well I'm off to have a polite chat with my neighbours about their security light, wish me luck!

I like your enthusiasm, but shouldn't we just have to deal with it?

Unless its just been installed to annoy you, I`m  not sure we can ask for much, after-all its for security.  All my neighbours have them, but my immediate neighbour has a high intensity flood light, boy its bright.

When I moved one of my sheds to shield the light, it must have raised an eyebrow, for the strange position that the shed has adopted.  My street is also built to  some ' secure by design' features that has too many street lights and all houses have front and rear PIR sensors.

It would be nice if  your neighbours  could dim the light, or just apply a shield to the side of the PIR sensor that faces you, then the lights should remain off, when your out and about.

Good luck.

[barkis]

Well done you for choosing the most sensible approach.

I hope your neighbour understands how much his light will disrupt your astronomy, and agree to 

your request to switch it off when you are active.

Your presence will prove more of a deterrent to a potential miscreant, than his light 

to be honest.

Ron.

[cuivenion]

I like your enthusiasm, but shouldn't we just have to deal with it?

Unless its just been installed to annoy you, I`m  not sure we can ask for much, after-all its for security.  All my neighbours have them, but my immediate neighbour has a high intensity flood light, boy its bright.

When I moved one of my sheds to shield the light, it must have raised an eyebrow, for the strange position that the shed has adopted.  My street is also built to  some ' secure by design' features that has too many street lights and all houses have front and rear PIR sensors.

It would be nice if  your neighbours  could dim the light, or just apply a shield to the side of the PIR sensor that faces you, then the lights should remain off, when your out and about.

Good luck.

Hi Charic, I realise that I live in an urban area and there is going to a certain amount of light pollution but there are couple of points that I think make this particular light unusual and a little unreasonable. It is very high up, at the apex of the roof and also it is extremely bright.

It is also near a steam vent, so it goes off about every time  the pipe vents, which seems to be about every 20 minutes or so. To try and put it in perpective My next door neighbours have a security light above their back door thats about 10 meters from me while this other light is much more distant, probably a good 50 meters or so and completely dwarfs it. it lights up the entire area. I think the word I'm looking for is excessive lol.

That being said I'd be happy if it was lowered, not pointed in my direction and it wasn't going off all the time. I would never demand they take it down.

[cuivenion]

Just to clear it up their property (back garden) kind of back on to mine so they're not next door so to speak, but very close.

[cuivenion]

Oh, and the chat went quite well, I spoke to one of the householders who said her husband would speak to me about it. Seemed very nice and up for resolving the problem.

[spaceboy]

I like your enthusiasm, but shouldn't we just have to deal with it?

Unless its just been installed to annoy you, I`m  not sure we can ask for much, after-all its for security.  All my neighbours have them, but my immediate neighbour has a high intensity flood light, boy its bright.

When I moved one of my sheds to shield the light, it must have raised an eyebrow, for the strange position that the shed has adopted.  My street is also built to  some ' secure by design' features that has too many street lights and all houses have front and rear PIR sensors.

It would be nice if  your neighbours  could dim the light, or just apply a shield to the side of the PIR sensor that faces you, then the lights should remain off, when your out and about.

Good luck.

I believe there is a law against lights that are deemed a nuisance. Funnily enough St lighting is void of this law but any lighting that directly disrupts sleep be it St lighting, commercial or private can be deal with through the local council.

From memory private lighting must not infringe the privacy of your neighbour. IE: it should not illuminate other peoples gardens or household.

I will try to find the details and post a link once found.

[spaceboy]

http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/local/legislation/cnea/documents/statnuisance.pdf

Statutory nuisance from artificial

light and light pollution

90 Artificial light nuisance may be,

but is not necessarily, the same as light

pollution. Artificial light nuisance is a

source of light that in the opinion of a

trained public health professional, who

makes an assessment on a case by case

basis, interferes with someone’s use of

their property, and / or is or might be

prejudicial to someone’s health. Light

pollution could be defined as any form

of artificial light which shines outside the

area it needs to illuminate, including light

that is directed above the horizontal into

the night sky creating sky glow (which

impedes our views of the stars), or which

creates a danger by glare. Although light

pollution might affect the aesthetic

beauty of the night sky and interfere with

astronomy, it is not necessarily also a

statutory nuisance. The statutory nuisance

regime is not an appropriate tool with

which to address light pollution per se.

Domestic security lights

91 Those aggrieved by a neighbour’s

lighting should be encouraged to speak

to their neighbour first where possible,

perhaps with the aid of a mediation service.

Mediation UK (www.mediationuk.org.uk)

may be able to advise.

[cuivenion]

Well considering I can read by the light I'd say it's shines outside it's area. It's lights up a whole row of houses. Hopefully it's going to be resolved in an amicable way though.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The amicable approach should always be tried first. Excellent to hear that they were friendly about it. I have found offering the neighbours a peep through the scope helps a lot, BTW

[Scott]

Well done you cuivenion for taking the civil approach. Always preferable to keep things pleasant where possible. Of coarse there is no reason you should have to put up with massive light overflow but you have certainly taken the best option

[lensman57]

Well I'm off to have a polite chat with my neighbours about their security light, wish me luck!

My prayers are with you. I will post a picture one day of what I have to suffer.

A.G

[Charic]

Spaceboy........I understand your take, but the council wont/cant do much here as its a private estate, and the properties were built with security in mind. Therefore there isn't much that I can do/request from  my neighbours. The PIR sensors cover a wide area, so If I approach my fence-line, their sensors pick me up and vice versa. Not only that but I have  direct line of sight, street lighting, again, designed to illuminate wide areas. You feel like Michael Jackson when you walk past each door mounted PIR along my street, only its not the slabs illuminating!

The sensors can be adjusted to reduce the time of illumination, or switched off completely if required.

As for any security lighting, its difficult to illuminate your property without any overspill to neighbouring properties.

I wasn't saying to cuivion that it was wrong to approach, I just thought it best to try and deal with it in other ways. If our telescopes came second to the lighting, is it not our own issue to overcome. I'm glad there may be some sort of agreement to reduce the lighting.

Its the reason I bought a Dob-Tent? to help reduce the direct light pollution. If I cant see the light directly, my eyes are better adapted to the conditions above, and the small snood on the telescope helps a little further.

[Dave Lloyd]

Security lighting doesn't provide security. How many people go out and investigate everytime a light switches on?

[cuivenion]

Security lighting doesn't provide security. How many people go out and investigate everytime a light switches on?

Very true.

[Charic]

True the lights are just a deterrent,  Hotline  fencing is  not 

[RobertI]

I live in a hopelessly light polluted area which i can do nothing about. But if i had a precious dark back garden which was invaded by a single cursed security light and my viewing pleasure was ruined i would most certainly try to do something about it. I'm sure your direct and honest approach will do the trick.

[Carina Lass]

I think lights AID burglars as they provide light to see and shadow to hide in.

Infra red lights and cameras is the way to go.

[Astrobits]

I think lights AID burglars as they provide light to see and shadow to hide in.

Infra red lights and cameras is the way to go.

Too true. I attach a bit from the Light pollution book written by Bob Mizon for the BAA Dark Sky section:

Nigel

[Dave In Vermont]

There is tons of proof that burglars rarely break into a house at night. Burglars keep regular hours, and strike while your average person is at work. I managed to catch one breaking into my neighbor's house - at gunpoint. I can only guess who is behind the campaign to lead us into thinking a brilliant light will dissaude a burglar.

There is nothing burglars are more concerned about than encountering the homeowner in the dark of night. So they work days.

Clear & DARK Skies,

Dave

[cuivenion]

Thanks for the replies guys I'll let you know how it goes.