It's the end of astronomy here...

[Ludd]

Alas, there was a burglary next door a few week ago.  Apparently they levered open the plastic front door and wandered around picking up some electronics and some car keys and went off for a spin, smashing up the car in the process.  I am sympathetic - our place was done not that long ago, and it's a horrible experience.

But my sympathy starts to fade when I get home one evening to find the electricians have been round.  This is now the view at the back of the house.  We were already toying with the idea of leaving London, but now the pressure's on.  Before anyone suggests popping round for a friendly chat about the lights, I ought to point out that over the last 12 years I've made many attempts to have a rational conversation with the neighbours - most of the family are pleasant and sensible, but they leave all decisions to dad who is, frankly, a bit weird and extremely difficult to communicate with.  And he has a chainsaw - not sure what that's for, given that he's a cab driver.

[Cath]

hmmm, may be less gain needed there as it's a little saturated down a bit from the middle right near the grass area. A few more exposures need though to suppress the noise when you start to bring out the details in the black area.

Apart from that Ludd, I totally understand the rest of the problem ! .. you're not alone in that area.

[Ludd]

Thanks Cath, you're helping me to see the funny side.

[Cath]

Thanks Cath, you're helping me to see the funny side.

Sowkay. just hope he's slower with the chainsaw than you are without one !

[Ludd]

I should perhaps add that his giant Leylandii - visible behind his giant shed - have pretty much doubled in size since we arrived here, and must be close to 100ft tall now.  Venus is lost behind them, and spotting the ISS rising in the west is no longer possible.  I thought he might have got the chainsaw in order to have a go at some amateur tree surgery, but alas not yet.

[Cath]

oh

100 foot !

We also have 3 giant Leylandiis at the back of the garden, well, the man who lives opposite does. Which tends to mean our field of view is restricted to looking up and not much else.

Also surrounded by the usual anti-security lights on most sides.

[Viewmaster]

If you live in Lands End then your best neighbours live in John O'Groats !

[mikeDnight]

Its very sad to see the difficulty you seem to be having with your neighbours lighting.

Could it be possible to try asking your neighbour to place a full cut off shield around his light. It would still light his entire garden but would prevent light trespass. Even if you paid for the shield and its installation it shouldn't cost much.

Failing that you could contact your local council explaining the problem. He may have to change the kind of light hes had installed and possibly its output, as well as shield the light source.

Mike

[Dave In Vermont]

He has a chainsaw? Buy him a hockey-mask and put your place on the market.

Run Away! Run Away!

Dave

[Ludd]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think there is any chance of reaching any agreement and going to the council will put a black mark on our house when we eventually try to sell up and move to New Zealand or Wales or Tenterden.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Maybe its just me, but i dont think its as bad as you may think. Yes the neighbour's "anti-"security light lights up his whole garden right back down to his shed, but there is very little light spillage over into your garden. At least it is not on a house directly behind your garden and and flooding your garden completely. I can see some nice dark spots in your garden from which to observe from. The main type of light pollution you want to worry about is that horrible orange skyglow caused by certain types of street lights. I'm not seeing any in your image, but you do live in London and i'm sure it is there somewhere.............maybe out the front of your house.

[gooseholla]

I'm sorry but burglary or not, that is a ridiculous amount of light.

[bish]

How long do the lights stay on for? My next door neighbour has bad security lights but they only stay on for a few minutes after they have been triggered by a fox etc. Not great but perhaps not the end?

[Kropster]

Burglary at the front....arc lights at the back?

Where is the logic?

[Paul73]

We headed out of London some years ago.

Best thing we ever did.

Paul

[Tinker1947]

I left London in March 2000, never looked back village life is so much better......

[mcolbert]

Ludd, the only times we've lived in cities it has been for work, otherwise we've been fortunate enough to live on the coast, in rural townships or (currently) in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains (Australian Alps).

We would never head back to another city - not willingly that is.  So, if work is 'do-able' for you then I've got to agree with Paul.

At least you can be aware of the potential problems when looking for a new place!  That in itself may lead to an interesting thread.

michael

[gooseholla]

My nightmare would have been if I purchased this house a year ago thinking it was good for astronomy. Road was nice and dark then. Now the bottom part of the road have ganged together it seems and have at least 2 or 3 security lights on 24/7 and lights to light up part of the front of the house up high... pointless. So yeah, if looking for a house, it may seem ideal but idiots can ruin that very quickly. The common thing now, even in a nice quite village, is to light up your house like it is Vegas. What a shame that people feel so paranoid, and also believe some light bulbs will stop a burglar... at 3 am... when they are sleeping... or at midday when they are all at work and no one is about.

I could never live in a town or city and continue astronomy. After spending all my observing life in a relatively dark village with good views, I'd just be so depressed.

John

[Ludd]

Luke is right, to a degree. But the light rakes across most of the garden at shoulder height and also makes it impossible to see where I am going when I am heading back to the house. It switches on when anyone goes out of our back door.

Oh, and they have cctv cameras front and back as well.

[Steve Ward]

At least get them to adjust the sensor so that it's not triggered by movement in your property.

[Tinker1947]

Burglar like a bit of light so they can see there way around, not many like to use a torch if they can't see there way around.....

[Dave Lloyd]

Luke is right, to a degree. But the light rakes across most of the garden at shoulder height and also makes it impossible to see where I am going when I am heading back to the house. It switches on when anyone goes out of our back door.

Oh, and they have cctv cameras front and back as well.

If you can't see to safely navigate your OWN property because of dazzle I think you have grounds to apply for a nuisance abatement order.

[BobSki]

"makes it impossible to see where I am going when I am heading back to the house"

That right there seems like a valid complaint to the council on the grounds of our old friends Health and Safety. If not the council as a first option, a letter to your neighbour suggesting that his high-intensity lights are spoiling your enjoyment of your property and hobby and also make it dangerous for you to use your garden in the hours od darkness. Should an accident occur, he would be responsible and could well be subject to a civil law suit.

If he's so wacky and unreasonable perhaps that might help him to understand things.

[gooseholla]

If he likes the light so much, install mirrors on top of your fence



 

[JamesF]

I think if I wanted to install some system to deter burglars I'd be far more inclined to do something along the lines of sticking a few "chewed" dog toys around the garden, put a couple of dog bowls outside the back door and have a recording of a dog barking play when some beam sensors were broken, optionally turning a light or two on inside the house a short while later.

I don't believe floodlights genuinely improve security.  I can believe that they make people feel more secure and there's an awful lot of stuff done in the name of security that is actually about improving the way people feel rather than actually increasing security (it's often called "security theatre"), but it doesn't achieve the same ends.  We live pretty much next door to a cricket club and the pavilion has motion-sensitive floodlights that were installed for security.  I'd bet I'm the only person who has ever seen them on (apart from the burglars who have on several occasions completely ignored them), and I only see them if I'm observing from the field in front of the house.  Complete waste of time (and money, since they're regularly set off by passing wildlife).

In a farming community such as the one where we live burglaries do actually tend to be committed at night (perhaps because people know who is who and are regularly around during the day and maybe because farmers are often in possession of rather more significant deterrents than might be found in the average town house).  Even so the local police still say that security lighting is of no real value in preventing burglary.

James