Neighbours security lights

[Peter Drew]

All a bit of fun, contemplating what to do to combat an inconsiderate neighbour but mostly, to implement any such suggestions, would only exacerbate the situation and the OP is the one that has to live with the consequences.  The best thing to do is to bite your lip and carry on as best you can, eventually things cool down and hopefully the neighbour might take notice of the soaring electricity bills.  From a security aspect, I would sooner have a neighbour physically outside at night as a much more likely deterrent  than a row of "helpful lights.    🙂  

[Waldemar]

39 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Do you have space in your garden for a domed observatory? They don't necessarily have to be big buildings and can be a nice DIY project. Even in a light polluted area a dome can offer both shielding and a good measure of dark adaption.

Of course that is a good idea, but making so much costs for a nasty neighbor? I think the mirrors or the scope aimed to his bedroom window are the best options.

This kind of bullying from that neighbor  is really sickening... I realize you are a very nice person, Soloula, but this guy is asking for some severe counter attacks.

[Kdiveruk]

On 19/10/2020 at 00:20, Soloula said:

Hi first post so hope this is in the right board.... My neighbour has just had four big spotlight dusk till dawn lights installed in the eaves of his house. It's like floodlights and I nearly cried when I saw them as the light pollution from them is terrible. They're not budging on switching them off when we're out. Is there anything we can do? Will the council deal with this as light pollution affecting the enjoyment of our property? Can I buy something to sit in/put out to block it out, although they're so high up and cover the full length of their garden that I don't know if this is possible? 

I was due to get my dad's 6" refractor telescope this year but now it feels like theres no point. Its not exactly portable to jump in the car and take it elsewhere as my lovely neighbour suggested My kids will be gutted too. We often sit out with some hot chocolate and binoculars stargazing. 

Any advice to a newbie would be much appreciated. 

Hi soloula

I have been thinking about your problem. Although it is a bad situation I think that you should not get downtrodden. like many have said you will still be able to view alot of things in your garden.

You mentioned that you would be doing observing with your kids. One of my fondest memories I can rember with my  farther is going out on an adventure and stargazing with him camping or a night out. Going out in the middle of nowhere with some supplies and being under the stars. I don't think a 6"would be to much trouble to take out on one of those special clear dark nights. It makes the whole thing a bit more special in my eyes! 🔥🌌

Glass half empty and all that!

 

Kind regards Kyle 

[JamesF]

7 hours ago, Dave Lloyd said:

Set up a couple of mirrors at the bottom of your garden adjusted to shine through all his windows. That way if he doesn't like it he has the means to stop it. 

I'd be quite tempted to do that in the OP's position.  I'm not sure I'd be able to fight the temptation.  I could get a nice shiny piece of parabolic steel and claim I was using it for radio astronomy or something

Not that I'm recommending it as a sensible course of action...

James

[Neil H]

Hi i have a house at 90 degs to my garden with a flood light and that lites up my bedroom as light travels side ways as well so tell the council its lights up your bedroom which you may find its does then the council  will do some thing 

Good luck mate some people just think of them selves 

[JamesF]

3 minutes ago, Neil H said:

Hi i have a house at 90 degs to my garden with a flood light and that lites up my bedroom as light travels side ways as well so tell the council its lights up your bedroom which you may find its does then the council  will do some thing

Is there anyone whose bedroom they don't light up?!  Personally I'm more worried about airline pilots thinking there's a runway to land on.

James

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @Soloula and welcome to SGL. 

Sorry to read of your LP problem. I am baffled/confused as to why your neighbour has to have four [in]security lights.

As others have said, be diplomatic with your approach and/or invite them round when something interesting is happening.
During mid-December [2020], Jupiter & Saturn are in close conjunction, so that maybe a 'sweetener'. 

[Waldemar]

Some flies can only be caught with vinegar, honey does not work, or is even counterproductive for them in some strange way...

 

[sputniksteve]

Erect a large screen between your gardens. Have your side painted black, whilst the side facing your neighbour is painted in reflective or/and luminous paint bearing a vast phallus. 

[sputniksteve]

On 19/10/2020 at 20:57, Soloula said:

Thanks Peter. I'm not about to be petty or inconsiderate as that's not me, as tempting as it is. Just less considerate iykwim. Less thinking of others who couldn't care less and just putting ourselves first. I'm a people pleaser which sometimes leaves me disappointed. You'd think I'd learn...

 

I'm hopeful we can still get out and do some kind of astronomy. At least we're south facing so our lunar views should be reasonable uninterrupted. Thanks for the links for suggestions Tiny. I'm not sure how well screening would work due to the height of the lights but will have a proper look through the thread after. Loving your observatory pad Alan. And jealous of a garden big enough to allow you to do that lol. 

A photo of the offending lights to give you an idea of what I'm dealing with.

 

 

Four of them?!?!? Bloody hell. 

[sputniksteve]

What’s his compass position in relation to you? Looking again at your photo, it strikes me that a solid fence would give some protection. Alternatively, without using leylandii, you could do something with bamboo fencing and clever planting. 

[jonathan]

Perhaps you could encourage your kids to write a friendly letter to your neighbours about how they used to enjoy going out in their dark garden to enjoy the night sky, but now they can't see the sky because the new lights are too bright at night.  Have them hand-write it if they're able to, signed - some lovely but very disappointed kids.  Keep a copy.

I don't see why the neighbour couldn't install lights at ground level if their aim is to have a runway for a garden, it's not going to be that difficult to install LED solar lights which would be much lower than your fence and not blinding to look at, or if they must have 5,000 cree lights then run some mains wire in truncing along the edges.

Whatever lighting they have, if it's constantly on without PIR sensors then it's not very green of them, using electricity (however little) is never going to be as green as not using electricity.  There's also an envirponmental impact on local wildlife, they'll definitely be disturbing the natural habits of insects, birds, predators, prey... I'd laugh if it resulted in an influx of foxes and badgers messing up their garden!  I wonder if you could even get the local naturalists involved, as it might well be a nuisance / danger to nature if your gardens back onto wilderness.  Maybe someone will take up the cause and get some press involved.

 

[Jiggy 67]

This is an interesting read

https://www.mylawyer.co.uk/lighting-a-A76076D76858/

And hints at the possibility that planning consent may be required as well as the fact that lights should only go as far as they need to for a particular purpose. You may have a case if you go to the council/solicitor 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dave Lloyd]

2 hours ago, jonathan said:

There's also an envirponmental impact on local wildlife, they'll definitely be disturbing the natural habits of insects, birds, predators, prey... I'd laugh if it resulted in an influx of foxes and badgers messing up their garden! 

 

Maybe those 30x slugs and snails that visit illuminated gardens at night in preference to dark ones will eat all his plants. 

[Dave Lloyd]

[DaveL59]

3 hours ago, sputniksteve said:

Erect a large screen between your gardens. Have your side painted black, whilst the side facing your neighbour is painted in reflective or/and luminous paint bearing a vast phallus. 

downside of that idea is you would get arrested/fined. If the neighbour has kids you'd potentially be in a world of pain doing that sort of thing too. I seem to recall a person got their car ticketed or fined because someone left a note on their windscreen of that ilk and regardless that the owner hadn't done it, the fact that it was on public display on their vehicle they were deemed responsible.

[DaveL59]

29 minutes ago, Dave Lloyd said:

hmmmm, thinks about the army of slugs that like to stroll around over the astroturf out back... light does come through the conservatory and the IR security lights cover it too, wonder if they respond to the IR as well?. 

I guess I could herd a quantity up into a box and send to the OP to "donate" over the fence 😉 Tho I'm sure that'd breach any number of regs on shipping etc.

Edited October 22, 2020 by DaveL59

[sputniksteve]

1 hour ago, DaveL59 said:

downside of that idea is you would get arrested/fined. If the neighbour has kids you'd potentially be in a world of pain doing that sort of thing too. I seem to recall a person got their car ticketed or fined because someone left a note on their windscreen of that ilk and regardless that the owner hadn't done it, the fact that it was on public display on their vehicle they were deemed responsible.

Fair point. 
 

What about an imitation of Michaelango’s ‘David’?

[johninderby]

Find out what football team he absolutely hates and buy a suitable banner. 😁😁😁

Edited October 22, 2020 by johninderby

[DaveL59]

or flip the light pollution complaints to council the other way and ask them to site a very bright one right outside his house?

Tho given what they did at the back, likely he'd be happy for that to happen. Probably has blackout blinds/curtains so all that light doesn't affect their sleep.

[sputniksteve]

Gnomes fixed to the top of your fence posts. 

[johninderby]

Gnome - Gardening naturally on mother earth.

Yes that is where the name gnome comes from.

More totaly useless info for you. 😁😁😁

Edited October 22, 2020 by johninderby

[Captain Scarlet]

I think the suggestion of a disappointed child's letter to the Council or someone, suitably publicized perhaps as an Open Letter, is not a bad idea.

Also perhaps make sure to wear Hi-Viz vests when observing, they are incredibly distracting, even slightly annoying, to anyone just behind a bright light, so whenever you are all out there, the neighbours from the top windows will see these bizarre bright shapes and stripes moving around the otherwise inky darkness.

M

[Louis D]

49 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Gnome - Gardening naturally on mother earth.

Yes that is where the name gnome comes from.

More totaly useless info for you. 😁😁😁

🤔

From the Online Etymology Dictionary:

gnome (n.1)

"dwarf-like earth-dwelling spirit," 1712, from French gnome (16c.), from Medieval Latin gnomus, used 16c. in a treatise by Paracelsus, who gave the name pigmaei or gnomi to elemental earth beings, possibly from Greek *genomos "earth-dweller" (compare thalassonomos "inhabitant of the sea"). A less-likely suggestion is that Paracelsus based it on the homonym that means "intelligence" (see gnome (n.2)).

Popularized in England in children's literature from early 19c. as a name for red-capped German and Swiss folklore dwarfs. Garden figurines of them were first imported to England late 1860s from Germany; garden-gnome attested from 1933. Gnomes of Zurich for "international financiers" is from 1964.

I assume you're having a bit of fun with us with your backronym for gnome.

[johninderby]

Or there is.

Acronym - Definition

GNOME - GNU Network Object Model Environment

GNOME - General NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Oil Modeling Environment

GNOME - Guarding  Naturally Over Mother Earth

GNOME - Global Network Of Modding Extremists

GNOME - GIS Neutral Object Manipulation Engine (CAD/CAM program developed by Analytical Survey, Inc.)