You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Yesterday our adjoined neighbours had some 'outdoor' lighting fitted to the back of their house.
This light is about 10cm from our side. This was shining right onto our living room last night. It's the size of a child's football, containing a large bulb with a sort of coil.
Our garden is completely wildlife friendly and hosts many nocturnal creatures which include Bats, moths and hedgehogs. I am not a fan of light pollution. But the latest trend to have as many outdoor lights adorning a property is not in the interest of helping nature of caring about the environment.
If I go round and ask nicely for this light to be moved she'll give me a load of abuse.
Advice please.
taller fence?
Hopefully it will attract insects which will feed your nocturnal animals.
How tall would your fence (or a section of it) have to be before you blocked it out?
Leylandii. Plant now, enjoy satisfaction of being right in about 20 years time.
Another thought. Could you offer to add a side shade to the lamp?
Omni directional? And basically on the boarder between properties - so you are 'benefitting' from it as much as them? Bit rude.
Motion sensor or manual? I.e. after the first day will they only put it on when needed?
Would not seem unreasonable to go around and say you don't appreciate your garden being lit up their light. But only you know how well that'll go. Instead of asking them to change the location which will not be easy, a change of light to something directional might help.
Failing all that, a taller fence or a shutter/screen screwed to the wall on your side to prevent it spilling your way. Won't look great sadly.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/artificial-light-nuisances-how-councils-deal-with-complaints
Shining through you window is pretty much the only valid reason i would ask for them to move it. Infact they probably HAVE to move it.
If you go on about wildlife etc. you will just dilute your argument.
For what its worth i kinda agree with you about the wildlife. However, i have all the above in my garden and they don't seem to give a shit about the lighting from all directions. Including some quite potent floods from a neighbouring commercial premises.
For clarity. I 100% agree with your efforts for encouraging wildlife. I am just not convinced your lighting issue is as bad for it as you suggest for the hogs moths and bats.
Edit2. You'll get her with a statutory nuisance. From the Clean neighbourhoods and environment act 2005.
Not saying it would be easy or worth it but you have the law on your side.
If you go via the council complaint route you may have to list it as a neighbour dispute if you ever come to sell your house
Thank you.
Yes lighting does affect moths. If anyone saw the recent evidence on Spring watch regarding moths flying toward a light, then always needing the light to be above them (possibly something to do with the moon shining, not sure), so the moths wear themselves out by flying round and around the light.
My main concern is it's shining directly into our living room and is bright orange. The neighbour is not the type one can have an intelligent conversation with. Moving is not an option, so maybe I can fix a trellis on the fence and grow something thick.
Deleted due to question been answered ^^
My main concern is it’s shining directly into our living room and is bright orange. The neighbour is not the type one can have an intelligent conversation with.
As a first step I would definitely talk to them though. It doesn't have to be confrontational or a particularly complex conversation.
A simple "Oh hi, I see that you have installed a new security light at the back, unfortunately it is shinning directly into our living room, is there anything that can be done about that?" would do it. What have you got to lose?
Not wanting to advocate macho bollox or violence but... If it were to get a bit physical with your neighbour, who would win? If its you and NBT then i'd opt for the catapult option then just deny it. If next door is all muscle and low IQ then opt for the higher fence.
Actually fitted onto the back of their house, next to the boundary? A repurposed estate agent sign just inside the boundary should block most of it, not that you should have to obviously.
Hopefully the lights will be cheap cr@p and die soon… just like the chavvy junk my mum insists of positioning randomly around their garden
Position some massive worksite lights to beam directly into their house, see how they like it.
Bunnyhop
If I go round and ask nicely for this light to be moved she’ll give me a load of abuse.
Advice please.
What about asking for it to be switched off by ten? Entirely reasonable request and requires no drilling, wiring etc.
Also if the dispute does go further it shows you were willing to make reasonable compromises to accommodate the lights.
Hopefully it will attract insects which will feed your nocturnal animals.
We leave our lights on sometimes to enjoy the bats catching the insects, passing badgers and hedgehogs seem to manage.
This thread is disappointingly lacking in frozen sausages
Patience, nbt has probably told to wait until all the sensible ideas have been considered.
Maybe a mirror to reflect to their bathroom or bedroom window that would annoy them
I had much the same problem with a million lumen at eye level as I tried to walk around to my back garden
Sparkies must know that it is going to cause conflict when they install these lights
It needs to get nipped in the bud as come December it will be on from 5pm
Brilliant. Frozen sausages won't work as their 2 dogs will eat them once slightly defrosted. I can't wee in her shoes without breaking into the house and being chased by the 2 dogs. Can't use bombers as we haven't got any.
I missed a trick by not seeing when they got fitted, otherwise I could have asked the electrician to hold on, then he could have witnessed her in 'full flow'.
If I go round she will interrupt me on my 3rd word and start with the abuse.
Not one single person in our otherwise lovely Cul de sac would even think about putting up a light on the boundary of their adjoined neighbouring house. Hubby has had enough of them too and doesn't want the hassle of them shouting at us. It's a shame as he's quite articulate and could swear his head off in French.
Maybe a mirror to reflect to their bathroom or bedroom window
something like this:
I think there may be laws / council rules about this sort of thing. I would look into that. You have no relationship with these folk so what do you have to lose?
Or just block it with something.
If - while they're out - you remove the bulb, pour wee in the socket, and replace the bulb, then you should find that their whole electrics will trip, the bulb will short, and there will be a freezer full of unfrozen sausages for the two dogs. An all round win?
Hannah - I did go out earlier and it does look as though I could unscrew the outer glass case and get to the bulb.
If I'm brave enough to go round later, I'm taking a friend. If, nobody spots me on this lovely STW tomorrow, you know things haven't gone well,
Frozen sausages won’t work as their 2 dogs will eat them once slightly defrosted
IIRC the point is that the sausages are frozen to make them easy to hammer near fully into the lawn. Once they defrost, dog smells the sausage (not a euphemism) and goes around digging up the lawn to get to them.
Find a dead bird. Wait until your neighbours are out. Smash lense. Drop bird in garden below light. Repeat
wee in the socket
That's an ambitious piss. Not sure if I've got that kind of power these days.
Strategically placed glitterball? Can't imagine her or the dogs could suffer that for too long.
I think piss Frisbee is the best option so far.
Mainly because I just want someone to try it out.
Perhaps their new light attracts ants? (definitely not the sugary water that you sprinkled it with, obvs)
However a swarm of wasps wouldn't upset me as an alternative.
I thought the wee could be decanted from a shoe quite easily. I think you could pour from a heel?
Problem with that ^ idea, is that it involves weeing in your own shoes. Or husband's. Which seems a bit contrary
Have they got a duck pond?
Wait until out, remove bulb, replace with an alternative that only gives off a faint glow.
Or, progressively overpaint the fitting with layers of opaque glass paint so that it gradually gets dimmer and dimmer.
Or, pop some epoxy glue into the fitting so that when the bulb goes, they can't replace it.
Take the lightbulbs out. Just keep doing it - they'll get the message eventually. If they come round and have a go, say it was getting on your nerves.
Have they got a duck pond?
Someone had to squeeze that one out of the thread.
Can't do the sausage thing as they have a fully paved yard, with the dreaded plastic grass glued on.
Can't wee as T.J says I'm not a bloke.
Can't unscrew the bulb as I'm too short.
Hoping their small boisterous child will accidentally whack it with his football. Sorry don't get the duck pond reference :0)
Sorry don’t get the duck pond reference :0)
Rishis recent visitors.
Can’t wee as T.J says I’m not a bloke.
Yo9u must be busting by now then 🙂
Halogen bulbs have dramatically shortened life when they have been touched by a finger.
You’d probably only have to do it a couple of times before she gets fed up changing it.
Obviously, you’d need to be certain she doesn’t have a camera pointing out there.
Or, if you have a boathook you could just yank the wiring so that it leaks and allow nature to take its course. .
I would wait until the go out fill it with water and plastic gold fish.
It won't work afterwards. Please be careful as I nearly electrocuted myself the other day.
https://metro.co.uk/2024/06/25/protester-breaks-rishi-sunaks-garden-takes-a-dump-duck-pond-21102658/
I didn't understand the duck pond reference either, but now I do. And I feel like one of you probably wrote this article - or STW was consulted as some sort of euphemism thesaurus.
Are they the kind of neighbour that if you got, say an EU ring of stars stencil and spray painted their light (outer glass globe) with it, the resulting EU light show would drive them mad every time they switched it on.
Note - not all argumentative neighbours are Brexies of course
Are these the same neighbours who enjoy smoking drugs at unsociable hours of the day and night?
Maybe buy a blue rotating light and mount it on the property boundary.
Every time you catch a whiff of herb , light up the rotating blue light.then play krs 1, it's the sound of the police at a slightly annoying volume
Mirror. Or a light of your own into their garden.
The council will apply screens for street lights into houses if you ask them. This may fall under the same. Our neighbour’s house across the road is lit up like Blackpool. Nine lights on the front of the house. We have blackout curtains.
Problem with that ^ idea, is that it involves weeing in your own shoes. Or husband’s. Which seems a bit contrary
Pretty sure Germans make glassware precisely for this purpose. I'm a bit worried about the froth on this one though...
If you talk to the neighbours, I'd make sure you are polite but forceful. No "don't suppose you could please" but "because of light nuisance laws you must do this". Know what outcome you want and ask for it. Nicely but forcefully. You coil help them of course but doesn't sound like they want to do you favour, you'll need to make them understand that the course of action you're requesting is less painful than fighting the law / council.
Or as stwhannah suggested.
I'd install a mirror (or even better, reteo-reflectives) on the boundary. F* em.
But would a garden light come under ‘light nuisance laws’? And by going in like that, the neighbour will automatically go on the defensive - be nice, speak calmly and like an adult, make them understand why the light is bothering you so you get empathy, not anger.
singletrackmindFull Member
Are these the same neighbours who enjoy smoking drugs at unsociable hours of the day and night?
Indeed they are.
Update: The husband was outside last night smoking, but he didn't put the lights on. I'm guessing he's not into the stupid frippery adorning their house. After further inspection these lights are at the front of the house and 3 along the back. There really was no need for one to be so near our boundary.
She wasn't there last night and I need a friend when/if (hubby is very against this action) I go round.
We have a pond which had ducks on it in the spring. Our wildlife camera might catch her using it as a loo. Urrgghh.
I maintain that electricity prices aren’t high enough if people are lighting up average suburban homes all night as if they were Buckingham Palace.
FWIW, if it was me, I’d firstly have a robust conversation and tell them they’re taking the piss, and if that didn’t work a strategically mounted shade on my property, that might be mirrored on their side.
...had some ‘outdoor’ lighting fitted...
You could ask them to get the *installer* back to re-align or fit side shades to the lighting to avoid it spilling onto your house.
All great suggestions. However my friend has absolutely refused to come with me, as she is not a fan of our neighbours either. She knows it's going to cause more trouble with them and she believes in Karma :0)
We think a trellis to grow something, with maybe a backing (mirrored would be great) until the plant gets bushy and fills the trellis.
It's a sad situation because I've been brought up to watch out for neighbours, make sure we don't upset them or cause them to not enjoy living next to or near us. This lot are not kind, charitable, caring or considerate.
Can't see the point of a mirrored backing, seems a bit passive aggressive. But if you must, make it slightly concave with a focal point in the middle of their living room so it annoys their dog. 🙂
The council will step in if required, they did for us when the ****s over the back of us installed a flood light pointing directly at our house and left it on 24/7.
martinhutchFree Member
Can’t see the point of a mirrored backing, seems a bit passive aggressive. But if you must, make it slightly concave with a focal point in the middle of their living room so it annoys their dog. 🙂
Great advice as usual Martin. Yes the mirrored backing was written tongue in cheek. Ivy with some honeysuckle is looking the best option atm.
I have got a potted tree that will be tall enough in a couple of years.
Tree shaped OSB attached to the fence and used to grow things up.
Clematis.?
Feed the birds every.single.day. not seed or nuts mind a full loaf..... Right under the area which is causing the consternation.
Or move.
Do you know anyone who can make you some curtains...
Cut through the wires either side of the light.
Remove light
Rejoin wires.
What light ?
Do you know anyone who can make you some curtains…
A poor solution. Bunnyhop should not need to have curtains made for her living room in response to severe light pollution from an unthinking neighbour.