Light pollution or ‘night blight’ not only stops us seeing the wonders of the night sky, it is a complete waste of energy. Estimated at somewhere between 2% and 3% of the UK national energy budget is consumed by street lighting and about 50% of this light is spilled up-over in an unwanted direction towards the sky in many older lamp fittings (and some poorly designed new ones). This is a complete waste of energy and the reason why we can't see the night sky from the towns and cities - having to venture to dark countryside sites to escape this glare and see the sky in all of it's glory!

Light pollution is a global problem and is damaging to our environment and natural heritage. The 15th Astronomer Royal, Professor Sir Martin Rees, succinctly expressed this in the following quote:

“ The starry sky is part of our environment – indeed it is the only feature of our natural surroundings that has been shared by all cultures throughout human history. ”

So are astronomers against street lighting and outdoor lights? No! They just argue for well designed lighting that minimises light spillage and is only switched on when neccessary.

As can be seen from the images above, the centres of population across Europe are easily visible from space because of all the wasted light spillage - contrast that to Africa or Greenland where there is no light pollution.

What can YOU do?

As you can see in the images below, light pollution in the North-East region increased by 42% in the 7 years from 1993 to 2000 (24% across the UK as a whole) and has continued to increase ever since, blotting out the Mily Way (below) to all urban street dwellers, wasting money and carbon/energy resources. It is REVERSIBLE, however, by sensible thought about outdoor lighting and there is something you can do! To Learn more visit the following sites:

• Light Pollution & Night Sky Simulators - The Need-Less lighting & light pollution simulator that shows how poorly and well designed outdoor lighting can change the night sky to the benefit of everyone. As well as their UK Night Sky simulator showing the quality of the night time sky all over the UK.
• Campaign for Dark Skies - The BAA's Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS), full of all the facts and figures, how it effects your carbon footprint, what lighting designs are best to improve the situation and much more. A little bit of thought by anyone considering installing outdoor lighting and a visit to this site for information can do wonders to resolve the problem
• Campaign to Protect Rural England - The CPRE's light pollution campaign, full of useful information about what can be done to halt the progress of night blight

Statutory Nuisnace

The first UK law tackling light pollution came into force on 6 April 2006. Exterior lighting joined noise and smells on the list of things that can be treated as a Statutory Nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Things local council's Environmental Health Department can take legal action against. The new law (Section 102 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005) makes 'exterior light emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance' a criminal offence. The new law doesn't tackle all forms of light pollution, only incidents of particularly bad lighting from some types of premises which cause people real nuisance.

Stockton Borough Council Policy

In March 2007 Stockton-on-Tees Borough council adopted an environment policy of which light pollution forms a part. It states that:

“Light pollution is light that is allowed to shine in unwanted directions and is often referred to as “sky glow” or “light trespass”. The principal causes are badly designed or poorly installed exterior lights that spill light skywards. This can be from older streetlights, commercial premises, floodlights, domestic security lights, and illuminated signs. It affects everyone’s quality of life, not just astronomers views of the starry night sky, can be a nuisance to local residents, affects wildlife and is a waste of energy.”

We will:

• Adopt planning policies that seek to minimise light pollution from new development.
• Ensure that all new street lighting has minimal contribution towards light pollution.
• Utilise the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 to tackle nuisance arising from domestic and industrial light sources.

Does it make a difference? Yes! Your small contribution can help, just look at the difference in the two images above of poorly designed street lighting and properly designed fittings - you can see the sky and save money for the same illumination.