Nuisance lighting

Industrial estates, some farms, large houses and gardens near the observatory seem to be pumping out wasteful amounts of light all night with only the cost of electricity to deter them. Where is the respect to nature and the environment? It’s high time to raise awareness of this issue, give encouragement to switch off or angle lights downward, or to start enforcing rules preventing light trespass and waste. With regard to security lighting… does the light really make the place more secure? At the observatory I prefer to leave the outside light sensor off to hinder would-be burglars being able to see what they’re doing. Studies (CfDS) already show that lights do little for crime prevention. The steady increase in lights filling in all the remaining dark spaces on the countryside map now includes lights that can leave a bright spot in your eyes from a distance of half a mile. To me these look at least 500 Watts per light. They include a certain “farm” on the Watton road and some ridiculously dazzling construction lights on the A11. Worst of all is Wymondham industrial estate – what a horrific waste. I am pleased that by pure luck the light on the industrial estate near me has just been removed. That one casted eerie enlarged shadows of passers by across my door! The picture above is of the school beside the observatory - who for some reason left their lights rudely shining across to the observatory’s al fresco telescope area.