Light pollution

Legislation on light pollution (Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005) relates to artificial light emitted from premises which is prejudicial to health, or considered a nuisance. Exemptions may apply if the light is needed for security purposes.

Types of light pollution

Most complaints are about:

• commercial security lights
• domestic decorative lighting
• domestic security lights
• exterior lighting of buildings
• healthy living and sports facilities
• laser shows/sky beams/light art

Report

To make a complaint about light pollution, please use Report It. Choose 'Noise and Statutory Nuisance' from the drop-down menu, then tick 'Light Pollution'.

Alternatively, you can call the Environment Contact Centre on 01642 726001.

What we'll do

The legislation we use to deal with complaints about light is the Environmental Protection Act 1990. A section of the Act identifies that light emitted from premises can constitute a statutory nuisance. For light to be considered to be a statutory nuisance there must be evidence that it impacts on your use of your own premises.

We'll investigate your complaint to decide whether the light should be classed as a statutory nuisance. If it is, we'll contact the person responsible for the light and see whether a simple solution can be found. If the person responsible isn't prepared to resolve the situation, and we believe the light constitutes a statutory nuisance, then we'll serve the appropriate notice, and prosecution may occur if the notice is breached.