Light Nuisance

Any form of artificial light shining outside the area it needs to illuminate is considered light pollution. We only have powers to take action when light pollution significantly interferes with a person's use of their property, such as preventing sleep.

We cannot help when light pollution:

• affects the beauty of the night sky
• hinders a view of the stars
• is an annoyance, for example when caused by animals briefly triggering security lighting
• is caused by street lighting as this is not originating from premises. Please refer complaints about street lighting to West Sussex County Council Streetlights, illuminated signs and bollards - West Sussex County Council

If you have a problem with light nuisance contact our Environmental Protection Team to make a complaint.

If you’re affected by light nuisance you should approach your neighbour to explain how the light is affecting you; they may be unaware they’re causing a problem. Politely suggest possible solutions, such as:

• re-angling or partially shading the light
• fitting a passive infra red sensor so that the light is not on all the time
• using a lower watt-powered/low energy bulb

If this doesn’t work you can make a complaint by contacting us. Tel: 01444-477292 Email: pollution@midsussex.gov.uk

We’re unable to take anonymous complaints, but your personal details are kept confidential.

We’ll contact the light owner to address the problem and send you diary sheets to complete. If our initial contact doesn’t resolve the problem, you’ll need to contact us and return your completed diary sheets, so a visit can be arranged to assess the light levels.

Minimise the likelihood of causing light nuisance by:

• thinking about the position of lights and avoid shining towards neighbour's bedroom window
• using low watt, low energy bulbs - 150W is adequate for most situations and will have reduced running costs compared to larger alternatives
• fitting a timer to reduce the amount of time the light is on
• ensuring the area covered by any sensors is appropriate, so that it does not cause the light to come on more often than is needed
• using a shield or hood to direct the light to the intended area only