Help - unexpectedly illuminated !

Lynn1959

We have our neighbours Hollywood walk of fame lighting up our house at the rear.
It’s just so unnecessary!

That looks like an alien spaceship to be fair

M0nica

I do not quite 'get' the idea of security lights.

Why floodlight the back of the house so any intruder can see clearly what they are doing and where they are going.? I would rather they stumbled around in the dark, making a heck of a racket as they tripped over planters, stumbled over garden chairs and stubbed their toes on the rockery.

Most police forces recommend low-level constant lighting (if it's necessary at all). 'Security' lighting also has the added advantage to the burglar that they can't be seen if they just stand outside of it without even hiding

Lynn1959 - what on earth is that ?

Are security lights really necessary?

Talk with the neighbour! It's so straightforward. When people install security lights they rarely consider the range of these and how they will affect other people and once this is pointed out it's easy for them to adjust the angle of their lights so that they tilt downwards and encompass just their property which is their legal entitlement. I witnessed such a conversation between two neighbours at a party in the garden of the 'affected' neighbour a couple of years ago. The neighbour on my (the opposite side of the road) adjusted the angle immediately, but said to me privately that the lights had been up for two months and there'd been no complaint, so I think this is something you need to nip in the bud rather than allowing the beaming into your kitchen window to become an accepted norm, which may make it harder for you to reverse. And although it's not your business whether your neighbour is feeding stray animals in his/her garden which is causing the light to come on and off frequently, you could make the point that if there are regular 'visitors' to the garden, the lights should definitely be trained on that garden and not onto yours. Good luck.

Put the mirror reflector film on the windows it lights up. ‘Right back at ya mate’. Only if the polite word doesn’t work of course

Your post is hilarious, how about printing it off and possibly the responses too and putting a copy in an envelope with their name on it if you know it. One of your funny quips as an introduction and a gentle " I will wait for three days for you to adjust your lights before taking this further."" Then maybe we will be good friends and you might like to come over for a drink with us?"
That should be sufficiently confusing for them to want you off their backs, just in case you might be 'nutters'. It will keep it funny.
Many years ago we had a client in our building business who let the power of employing people go to his head. We received a strange letter from him accusing us of buggering him about.
My husband could not resist sending a reply stating that the client had accused him of unnatural sexual practices and was very hurt and upset at this allegation.
A few days later we received a response from the client profuse with apology, begging forgiveness and hoping that we could overlook his offensive behavior.
We laughed so much as we had not expected him to take it seriously. It all ended well. The job was completed , the client was happy with it and we suspected that he was careful with his phraseology after that.

There are restrictions concerning security lights. I suggest you contact your local councillor and request an investigation.

You should not have to pay to prevent a nuisance light. Ask them nicely to either reangle or turn off. Environmental Agency if no joy.

You shouldn't have to install blinds to prevent someone elses light blinding you..
Print out what you wrote in your original post and go and give it to them.

Simples an air pistol

The security light in our garden used to light up when a neighbours cat took a stroll. Eventually it stopped working and I never got it repaired. I did regret that slightly when I had an attempted burglary at the back of the house. Burglars tried to lever my french doors open with a shovel. Fortunately I heard a noise, went to investigate and saw the door handle going up and down. I was absolutely terrified and hid out of site but they scarpered leaving the shovel behind. I found it next day when it was light! They obviously thought I was out as it happened during the week I had no car outside as it had gone to the great scrapyard in the sky and was replaced a week later! The most un-nerving thing was realising they had planned on the basis of me being out. I always leave lights on when I'm out and I guess they knew that. I wonder if they were as shocked as me. I've recently had a new alarm system fitted and think that is far more useful than security lights.

They need to change the angle of their sensors.
Suggest you post a note through their door and explain the problems you are having by just moving around inside your own house as they are probably unaware.
We don't need security lights over our front door as the neighbour's lights up as soon as we step out of ours!
Neighbour on the other side has lights in their back garden that light up everytime they go out in the garden for a fag - which is several times throughout the night as the woman chain smokes and they don't smoke inside the house unless it's raining!
Had to chuckle at your description - could just imagine you being pinned up against the opposite wall, saying "It wasn't me Guv!!!"

Could you put up blackout curtains using the type of shower curtain rod that expands when you twist it or a spring curtain rod?Neither require nails or screws .I hate living in a fishbowl and use both type rods. My house is adobe brick and it's hard to hang anything with nails or screws.

We have the same problem - I feel your pain

What the planning site says... if you are planning to install external lighting for security or other purposes, you should ensure the intensity and direction of light does not disturb others. Many people suffer extreme disturbance due to excessive or poorly-designed lighting.

Ensure beams are NOT pointed directly at windows of other houses. Security lights fitted with passive infra-red detectors (PIRs) and/or timing devices should be adjusted so that they minimise nuisance to neighbours and are set so that they are not triggered by traffic or pedestrians passing outside your property.

A neighbour might take you to court if you are negligent or cause nuisance.

Do they need planning permission for such bright outdoor lights? Perhaps a phone call to your local council would give you the full facts. If they have been installed without any required permission then the council could take it up. If not then a polite chat with the owners to change their position/angle and install a blackout blind. There are some on the market that stay in place by extending pressure but they are no good for larger, heavy blinds. If your neighbour is not breaking any rules you may have to stump up to have a blind fitted. Any local handymen who could do that quite cheaply?

Start by explaining the problem to your neighbours and inviting them over to see the problem for themselves.

If they are reasonable people, I am sure they will adjust their lamps.

If they don't, you will have to find out what the bye-laws in your area are regarding security lamps.

Unfortunately if you have to involve the local council or any other authority, it will probably cause some bad feeling with the neighbours involved.

There is no reason why you should put up with this, or have to invest in new blinds etc. to be able to live comfortably in your own house.

Thank you for all your replies.

I’m going to send my niece round the next time she visits as I’m a bit of a coward and can’t deal with confrontation. Unfortunately I’m now the only geriatric in our road and it does put you at a disadvantage.

I’m not sure if these lights can actually be angled downwards as they seem to be just fixed.
The idea about the shower curtain pole gave me the idea that I could glue hooks above the kitchen window and put a blackout curtain on a rod if I cut it down.

You are all so helpful on here ❤️
I try to make a joke of things otherwise it’s easy to get overwhelmed by stuff.

politely explain the problem to them and ask if they could redirect the lights so they are not shining directly into your kitchen window and blinding you if they refuse contact your local council and explain to them i am sure the council could help as this is causing a nuisance to you also could be a health and safety hazard if you haooen to have soomething hot in your hands and lights come on and blind you. hope you get sorted with neighbours first though

We have a security light that pops on and off too! Hate the darned thing but him indoors is reluctant to turn it off! (Is it a bloke thing I wonder?) We recently had a verandah fitted with lovely solar fairy lights so YES! The stalag 9 installation is now redundant!. I too prefer to strategically place my numerous full watering cans and other planters etc at the entrance to the back garden except to date there's only muggins here that's fallen foul of the booby traps in broad daylight too...but one day..... But on subject: ask them to re angle the lights 'please' if you ask in same manner as your post you'll probably have them rolling in the aisles!

I had a similar problem (although not as extreme as yours, Infinity) with security lights on a school that backs onto my garden and the back of my house. I got in touch with the Head and they were ‘re-angled’ the same day..

However, 3 lights does seem a bit excessive - I wonder why they think that is necessary?

I have had this for a while with a neighbour in the street behind me, it's not on sensor though, and he left the light on all night one night last week. A polite note though the door seems to have done the trick - "either angle down into your garden please or remember to turn off at night". Illuminates the whole of the back of my house and my next door neighbour.

I think they should be shot at dusk

My neighbours have security motion lights which work to my advantage. In the dark of winter I do an inelegant leap at 'the' spot as I wend my way into my back garden. Hey presto my path is fully visible. Magic!