There go my dark skies............

[ollypenrice]

I'm intrigued by the whole anonimity thing. I had, while living in the UK, some issues with inconsiderate neighbour lighting and I'm going to be honest about what I did about it. Very little. Somehow the Great British Addiction To Embarrassment stopped me from doing something as simple as going round and talking about it. So I'm going to feel pretty hypocritical if I trot out platitudes about a friendly chat - even though that is the obvious and only first line of attack. Which it is.

But what is this British thing? Consider the London Underground. It's cramped and crushes people together. But does it? Take a look at the people buried in their newspapers or, more likely, their smartphones. They are separated by a long, leafy garden, a few oak trees, perhaps a small and babbling brook and several rungs of the elaborate social hierarchy (invisible to foreigners) which set them at least 100 metres (no, yards) from the person half crushing them against the end of the seat.

We are an island nation and islands begin at home.

I found it easier to emigrate than to speak to my neighbours. How English is that?

Olly

[recceranger]

Sorry, I meant to say- I know a few guys that could help those bad neighbours put a filter on their security light!

[bingevader]

When you have your little chat you might also like to point out that there's now good evidence that all the extra lighting has actually made your local burglar's life easier not more difficult.

It's one of the arguments that the Councils are using to justify turning the street lights off.

Just think about it, if he's leaving his light on all the time he's away, he's making access easier and you're less likely to notice anyone prowling around, you'd would if they had to use a flash-light!

[ollypenrice]

I'm sure that security lighting is total nonsense. Talk to stage designers and lighting technicians. On stage, in front of a deliberately attentive audience who have paid for the right to be attentive, they can maipulate what is visible and what is not very effectively. They do not, of course, hide things by lighting them up...

Olly

[DeepSkyBagger]

I've mentioned this before elsewhere on the forum, but I make no apology for repeating it now. The more people who take on my idea, the better, I think.

When talking about 'security lights', always refer to them as 'burglar's friends'. I never miss an opportunity to call them that. Maybe some day, someone will think about what I said... 

It's not just made up, either. I once heard a burglar being interviewed on the radio and he couldn't believe how lucky he was that these new security lights were springing up all over the place. He said it made his 'job' so much easier.

[Yearofthegoat]

Being relatively new to this hobby I am convinced that your neighbours will not have given it a second thought when putting the light up that it might affect you in any way or form. To everyone here this is a nuisance, a disturbance, light pollution, and an annoyance however to anybody else it is just a light.

Couldn't agree more. I put a light round the side of our house a couple of years ago - to make it easier to see when taking the recycling bins out - and it just didn't occur to me that it might affect anyone else, although I did make sure it was aimed down rather than outward towards the road.  So hopefully the friendly chat will work out.

Re. the lights / burglar thing, I suppose it depends whether the light helps burglars to be seen, or to see.  The front of our house is pretty lit up anyway from a streetlight but the back is dark.  I guess it's a different ball game if you have CCTV installed as presumably that would need light for a good picture unless it's infra-red?

[ollypenrice]

If I wanted to break into the front door of an empty house I would take a floodlight with me and set it a few feet from the door and pointing at the street.  Then, totally invisible, I would stand behind it and potter away at removing the door.

Olly

[Zakalwe]

If I wanted to break into the front door of an empty house I would take a floodlight with me and set it a few feet from the door and pointing at the street.  Then, totally invisible, I would stand behind it and potter away at removing the door.

Olly

Have a look at the graphic on this page, which demonstrates this perfectly. The angle of the floodlight can be changed which shows how ineffectual these lights can be

http://www.britastro.org/dark-skies/floodlights.html

[wxsatuser]

Hope you resolve it ok Earl.

Just had someone new move in about 75yards away.

First thing they did is put a huge sodium lamp halfway up the wall and it lights up their whole garden.

It seems to be left on for hours at a time.

It's not as bad as Earl's but we just had our sodium streetlights removed and this happens.

Carry on regardless, I'm well used to LP now.

[Earl]

To Update, the light has not been one once since, hoever they are away for a few months in Oz I gather.

[garethmob]

Fingers crossed Earl the bulb has blown!   

I will be honest, on the industrial estate i am its pitch black here, perfect for the clear dark skys we have and as im behind a nice locked gate im "protected" by leaving my equiptment out for hours at a time.  We have a 150W metal halide security light on right by where i am on one of the units and the unit next to it has a small LED pointing into the corner where theres a door (they get to the yard at 4 in the morning sometimes to grit the local schools if its icy.  but i have access to both lights and usually turn them off when im out and back on when i finish (the metal halide is on a timer)     but the real reason is since putting it up the amount of breakins to the yard has gone from maybe 3 a week to 0 and all the kids (as the yard is about 300 yards up a lane protected at all sides by high trees) in their cars doing the usual with their partners...... people smoking and taking drugs,  and just staying up the lane with the music blasting dropped massivly.  but in the month where the previous 75w blew to installing the 150 there were about 5 or 6 cars outside the gate each night.  i guess theres positives and negitives for each one.   luckly the light dosent effect my hobby due to my access to turn it off but if i found out the lights ere effecting any one else i would be mortified    fingers crossed everything will be ok when they get back ear!