My Neighbours 1) Really 2) really 3) really like security lights.

[teoria_del_big_bang]

42 minutes ago, Chris said:

hmmm? now you mention it, it could be because I sometimes press my face up against their patio window whilst they're having dinner? 🤔😄 

So great you can keep your sense of humour, well done because you must be livid really 🙂 

Steve

[johninderby]

5 minutes ago, Chris said:

I'm very pleased for your John, and I'm definitely not jealous at all 😬😄

Unfortunetly there is one street light close to my house I would like to take an angle grinder to. 😁 Dims at midnight though and and can observe from in front of the conservatory that blocks  the light out.

[johninderby]

I wonder if they realise they have now made their house a prime target for burglers who can now see what they are doing.? 🙄

Edited October 23, 2021 by johninderby

[Chris]

7 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

So great you can keep your sense of humour, well done because you must be livid really 🙂 

Steve

Thank you  If it was a house overlooking my back garden I would genuinely be crying into large glass of wine right now, but the front garden (south facing where the planets are) has never been good, it's just got a bit worse now. I'm hoping they wont be on all the time else that will get a bit much.   

It did cross my mind that I should have tried much harder to persuade my wife to move to the countryside though. 

[Wiu-Wiu]

Did they open a prison on the side? 

[JamesF]

That's utterly mental.  What on earth are they scared of?  It looks as though there could be a house with a garden that backs onto theirs?  If I lived there I'd be going utterly bananas.

If they're lighting up bedrooms in your house (or those of other neighbours) then it's seriously inconsiderate, regardless of the astronomy situation.  Perhaps a polite note through their door (anonymous if necessary) might be in order, pointing out that their security lighting is almost certain to be considered a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and please would they adjust their insecurity lights so as not to illuminate their neighbours' houses.  Give them a few weeks to sort it, and if they don't then complain to the council until you get a satisfactory resolution.  I'd point out to the council that the neighbours are, in your opinion, potentially putting peoples' health at risk by lighting their bedrooms to a level where it may be difficult to sleep properly, and (if it is the case) that they're unreasonably preventing your enjoyment of your home by making astronomy impractical due to the high light levels.  I'd suggest the health/sleep issue is the stronger case to make because the council won't fancy being sued by someone further down the line who has had their health compromised due to the council's lack of action.  If you can keep some records of when the lights are on and for how long and include that and the above photo with your complaint, all the better.

Could be worth canvassing the opinions of any other affected neighbours, too.

James

[RobertI]

Oh no, that’s just horrible Chris. 🙁 What on earth are they going to do next? If you are feeling brave enough I would just politely ask whether they could switch them off by 9pm each night. I think if they know how important astronomy is to you and what effect the lights have they might want to be reasonable. Fitting a timer would be easy for them. I’ve generally found neighbours are happy to help once they realise, but I know some SGL’ers have had bad experiences. If that doesn’t work, invite all the neighbours to a star party on your driveway - you might then at least get some support from the neighbours and minimise the risk of someone else doing the same. Good luck. 

[Chris]

19 minutes ago, JamesF said:

That's utterly mental.  What on earth are they scared of?  It looks as though there could be a house with a garden that backs onto theirs?  If I lived there I'd be going utterly bananas.

If they're lighting up bedrooms in your house (or those of other neighbours) then it's seriously inconsiderate, regardless of the astronomy situation.  Perhaps a polite note through their door (anonymous if necessary) might be in order, pointing out that their security lighting is almost certain to be considered a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and please would they adjust their insecurity lights so as not to illuminate their neighbours' houses.  Give them a few weeks to sort it, and if they don't then complain to the council until you get a satisfactory resolution.  I'd point out to the council that the neighbours are, in your opinion, potentially putting peoples' health at risk by lighting their bedrooms to a level where it may be difficult to sleep properly, and (if it is the case) that they're unreasonably preventing your enjoyment of your home by making astronomy impractical due to the high light levels.  I'd suggest the health/sleep issue is the stronger case to make because the council won't fancy being sued by someone further down the line who has had their health compromised due to the council's lack of action.  If you can keep some records of when the lights are on and for how long and include that and the above photo with your complaint, all the better.

Could be worth canvassing the opinions of any other affected neighbours, too.

James

I agree that it's mental, and I'm not sure what their thought process is at all? Beyond the wall at the end of their garden there is another neighbours driveway, so they are probably getting a bit of light through their living room curtains like us. Their immediate next door neighbours back garden must be lit up like the 4th of July though. 

I had a read of the link Astro Noodles posted earlier and saw that the health argument would be the best stance with the council, but I will play it by ear, and if they're on all the time a polite letter through the door might be in order to begin with. 

We only speak to the elderly couple next door as the couple over the road keep themselves to themselves, and it's all end of gardens to the left of us as it goes round a corner. The elderly couple next door are so laid back that I doubt it would bother them.   

[Chris]

16 minutes ago, RobertI said:

Oh no, that’s just horrible Chris. 🙁 What on earth are they going to do next? If you are feeling brave enough I would just politely ask whether they could switch them off by 9pm each night. I think if they know how important astronomy is to you and what effect the lights have they might want to be reasonable. Fitting a timer would be easy for them. I’ve generally found neighbours are happy to help once they realise, but I know some SGL’ers have had bad experiences. If that doesn’t work, invite all the neighbours to a star party on your driveway - you might then at least get some support from the neighbours and minimise the risk of someone else doing the same. Good luck. 

Maybe a fourth light? I honestly don't know at this point Robert, I thought two was more than enough lol The problem is in my head it would all go south if I approached them. In my minds eye they would tell me to er go away to keep this thread family friendly.

Maybe an untraceable note through the door with letters cut from news paper perhaps?   

[Craney]

Is that an original wall ?   Looks a bit fancy and OTT.   Wonder if there is planning permission on it....?    I googled,

"in regard to its height:

it is next to a highway used by vehicles (or the footpath of such a highway) and it would not exceed one metre in height (from ground level); or

it would not exceed two metres in height (from ground level) if elsewhere; or ...."

That might make an interesting conversation starter.

 

 

[Tim]

Looks like the neighbour I had at a "dark site" recently.....

My neighbour at home is similar, massive floodlights on all night, I spoke to him about it once and he did angle them down a bit, but then upgraded to even brighter, much worse ones.  They drive you mad don't they 😕

[LondonNeil]

1 hour ago, Chris said:

Seems a bit superfluous doesn't it. 

It's going to be like living opposite a sports stadium from now on. I can just imaging their power metre evoking special relatively as it whizzes round! 

This!

One of the houses behind me had there's on a switch I think, not a detector, so it's not on so often but when it is they seem blind to it and forget it. Flipping heck, it's like being at the end of the runway at Heathrow for 4 days!  It's so bright it's very very noticeable in daylight! I picture the needle on the old fashioned meter whizzing round, flying off and the glass smashing!

[Chris]

3 minutes ago, Craney said:

Is that an original wall ?   Looks a bit fancy and OTT.   Wonder if there is planning permission on it....?    I googled,

"in regard to its height:

it is next to a highway used by vehicles (or the footpath of such a highway) and it would not exceed one metre in height (from ground level); or

it would not exceed two metres in height (from ground level) if elsewhere; or ...."

That might make an interesting conversation starter.

 

 

I don't actually know as we've been here less than 3 years you see, but it is quite fancy isn't it. I kind of wish they'd build the wall another 20 foot higher! that would solve the problem  

[Chris]

5 minutes ago, Tim said:

Looks like the neighbour I had at a "dark site" recently.....

My neighbour at home is similar, massive floodlights on all night, I spoke to him about it once and he did angle them down a bit, but then upgraded to even brighter, much worse ones.  They drive you mad don't they 😕

basically daylight then  

[Astro Noodles]

14 minutes ago, Chris said:

Maybe a fourth light? I honestly don't know at this point Robert, I thought two was more than enough lol The problem is in my head it would all go south if I approached them. In my minds eye they would tell me to er go away to keep this thread family friendly.

Maybe an untraceable note through the door with letters cut from news paper perhaps?   

That's how I would see it. 

People who do things without considering how their actions will affect others may not be prepared to be reasonable when challenged. I would go straight to the council myself if I couldn't live with it, without confronting the neighbours directly. I wouldn't feel bad about not approaching the first as they are the ones bein inconsiderate.

[Astro Noodles]

12 minutes ago, Tim said:

Looks like the neighbour I had at a "dark site" recently.....

My neighbour at home is similar, massive floodlights on all night, I spoke to him about it once and he did angle them down a bit, but then upgraded to even brighter, much worse ones.  They drive you mad don't they 😕

Why?!?

[Kimboman]

Hi obviously they are being used to dry their washing.

this is a growing problem with no regards to the night environment ,we have blackbirds singing at midnight and I don't know how hedgehogs and the like manage

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

16 hours ago, Chris said:

That is re assuring

Don't be too reassured. When next door but one to me installed crazy bright LED PIR lights every time they came on my garden was bathed in light. Whenever they triggered for no apparent reason, it was like a scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind! Ruining observing. I did knock once but they didn't answer the door. They were definitely in. Maybe my bleeding eye sockets scared them. They have since planted a small tree in the line of sight, so the beam is scattered somewhat and with the edition of my tarp light shield, the light nuisance is pretty much eradicated. I wonder if me standing there angrily using, erm shall I say, rather military language  at the lights each time made them plant the tree? " 'ey Billy, look out the window. There's that bloody loon with a sack on his head pointing at our 'ouse, shouting (bad words) lights!'" 😬

Also I had kittens a few weeks back when next door put fittings in for LEDs at the rear of his garden. My fisticuffs fantasies were curtailed when he reasonably installed the lights below the fence line and angled down. There's some spillage through the fence panels but not intrusive. The irony is the LED street light the council shielded is at the end of his garden. 🙄

 

Edited October 24, 2021 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[JamesF]

The other possibility is to hang solar panels on the front of your house.  If they're going to light the place up like it's daytime, you might as well make a bit of cash out of it

James

[johninderby]

Or how about mirrors angled to shine the light back into their windows.🤔 😁😁😁

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

1 minute ago, JamesF said:

The other possibility is to hang solar panels on the front of your house.  If they're going to light the place up like it's daytime, you might as well make a bit of cash out of it

James

There's far too many suggestions making those lights attractive; solar panels, 24 hour tanning, barbeque even. They're probably that bright the neighbours could likely light the inside of their own houses with a single candle!

[JamesF]

Just now, johninderby said:

Or how about mirrors angled to shine the light back into their windows.🤔 😁😁😁

I think that's the stage that comes before buying an RPG

James

[johninderby]

Or maybe these guys could help. 😁😁😁

[fireballxl5]

4 minutes ago, JamesF said:

I think that's the stage that comes before buying an RPG

James

Or better still go straight for the BFG9000 upgrade😈

[JamesF]

8 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Or how about mirrors angled to shine the light back into their windows.🤔 😁😁😁

I now have visions of a large motorised parabolic mirror burning the words "Turn the lights off" onto their living room wall

James