Light pollution

Light pollution is unnatural light that is allowed to illuminate, or pollute, areas that should never have been lit. It is classed as a ‘statutory nuisance’ when the unnatural light coming from the premise can be harmful to health or a nuisance. If it is classed as a statutory nuisance then we can take action to reduce the light or remove it.

You can report light pollution using the form below.

Report a nuisance complaint

We cannot act if the artificial light is coming from the following places: 

• airports
• harbour premises
• railway premises
• tramway premises
• a bus station and any associated facilities
• a public service vehicle operating centre
• a goods vehicle operating centre
• a lighthouse
• a prison
• streetlights

If you’re concerned about light nuisance coming from a neighbour's garden or a local business, then often the best way to deal with the problem is to talk to the person or company responsible. They may be unaware that they’re causing a problem and may be willing to fix it.

Taking formal action

When talking or informal action is not possible or fails, you can resolve the problem by taking formal action.

The most common route involves submitting a complaint to our Environmental Health team. If our officer is satisfied that a statutory nuisance exists or is likely to occur or recur, then formal action can be taken. This could involve a notice being served to the person responsible for the light nuisance, or the owner or occupier of the premises.

How to avoid causing light pollution

• do not fit lights that are not needed
• do not use extremely bright lights. A 150 watt tungsten halogen lamp is adequate, 300 or 500 watt bulbs are too powerful for homes which want security lighting
• do not leave lights on when they are not needed, consider controlling lights with passive infra-red detectors, ensuring that they are correctly aligned and installed (for a porch light that is going to be left on all night, a 9 watt compact fluorescent lamp is normally adequate)
• when aiming floodlights make sure you only light the area that needs lighting (the aim of the floodlight can easily be checked at night when you can see the actual area being lit)
• be careful not to put light onto other people's properties or into windows, as this can be very upsetting and may cause them to complain.

Using floodlights or porch lights

Floodlights and detectors should be aimed to only detect and light people on your property. They should not detect a person or animals walking down the street. If the floodlight is fitted with a timer, this should be adjusted to the minimum to reduce the operation of the light.

For many properties, a better solution for security lighting is to use a bulkhead or porch lights fitted with a low power 600-900 lumens (9/11w) compact fluorescent lamp.

Benefits of using these floodlights include:

• they can be left lit all night for only a few pounds of electricity per year
• light is kinder to the environment
• casts fewer shadows reducing the hiding places for criminals
• units can be fitted with a movement detector if needed
• units are generally mounted lower and are therefore less susceptible to nuisance switching and complaints from neighbours.