Neighbour (first world problems).

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?

Move house.

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.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/family-finally-admit-defeat-after-5456610.amp

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 ^^

Just stick a bit of thin ply on the back of the trellis while you’re waiting for your plants to grow on it. Otherwise you’ll have a year of looking at it.

so maybe I can fix a trellis on the fence and grow something thick.

What, like a new neighbour? ?

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.

Go to speak to them. Don’t ‘ask nicely for this light to be moved’ but explain that it is shining into your room and ask them if they can do something about it, please.

https://27bslash6.com/halogen.html

She probably didn’t mean to cause a fence.  (cough, sorry)

As above, you may have a case with statutory nuisance, whereby it’s unlawful to “unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of a home.”

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

Curtains ?

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.

Any plans to put a new patio in ?

This thread is disappointingly lacking in frozen sausages

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.

so maybe I can fix a trellis on the fence and grow something thick.

Maybe put something reflective on the trellis until it does? If you could position it to shine the beam back into their house, that would be a bonus?

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:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes%27_heat_ray

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?

If you cant be bothered with upsetting them for fear of another confrontation then your options are significantly more limited. A bigger fence it is then?

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,

good luck and do report back….

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.