Landscape & Environment - Light Pollution
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Darkness at night is one of the things that defines the countryside and makes it so different from towns and cities. But that darkness is disappearing, and with it our view of the stars and planets.
The heart of our Milky Way galaxy is blotted out for more than half of the UK population by light pollution. Photo: CfDS image library.
Why light pollution matters
The wasteful, careless use of outdoor lights is blighting our night sky, stopping us from being able to see the stars. The problem isn’t all lighting, just lights that waste energy by beaming some or all of their light upwards. This causes light pollution, which can be seen as a pinky orange glow lighting up the night sky for miles outside towns and cities
In the absence of light pollution, you can see thousands of stars on a clear, dark night and our own galaxy, the Milky Way, splashed across the heavens. But where there is light pollution, you can see only a couple of dozen of the very brightest stars. Light pollution wastes electricity and energy, and in doing so it contributes to air pollution and climate change. CPRE is particularly concerned because darkness at night and starry skies are two of the things that – up to now at least – have defined the countryside and made it so different from towns and cities. That quality needs to be maintained and restored.
Light pollution in the South East is getting worse
CPRE National Office has used satellite data to create maps which show how much light pollution there is in England. This data shows that light pollution is rapidly increasing in the South East, leaving less and less countryside where we can still enjoy starry, starry nights. According to this data, there are no dark skies are left in Oxfordshire.
Highest levels of light pollution are indicated with red, the black indicates no light pollution detected. Source: CPRE.
Percentage of area in each of the five light pollution bands in 2000 (1993 in brackets) for Oxfordshire are as follows: Black 0% (1%), Dark Blue 5% (28%), Light Blue 81% (61%), Yellow 13% (10%), Red 1% (1%).
The satellite data obtained by CPRE shows us how much night time light is beaming upwards from each square kilometre of the South East. This densely populated and fast-growing region with the capital city at its heart is the most light-polluted of all in the UK. The average amount of light shining up from each square kilometre is higher than anywhere else. The South East is the region with the smallest proportion of its total land area within the truly dark category – just 1%. The data shows that light pollution is both a major problem and one that is growing. Perhaps not surprisingly, 91% of Greater London is light-saturated. The few square kilometres of truly dark land are found in pockets scattered across several counties and some distance from London, including the southern coast of the Isle of Wight.
Tackling Light Nuisance
Intrusive lighting can now be dealt with under a new criminal offence; the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act classifies light pollution as a statutory offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
However, the new powers are limited. It deals with light nuisance, such as a neighbour’s security light shining into your window, but not the light pollution that brightens the skies of Oxfordshire and obscures the stars. Street lights are excluded from prosecution under the Act, as are goods depots, bus and rail stations and airports.
What you can do
If you wish to deal with pollution, first make an accurate record of the problem. Then try to resolve the issue amicably with your neighbour. If that fails, you can contact your local environmental health service:
You will need to convince them that the light source is a nuisance, and that your health or the enjoyment of your property is affected. If that proves fruitless, you might try the courts, but the aim of Act is to find a way of redressing light nuisance without escalating neighbourhood disputes.
Find Out More
Below are a list of links to further information regarding this campaign: