11 April 2012

Half The UK Population Experience Light Pollution

A survey conducted by rural campaigners and astronomers has found no real improvement in the amount of wasted light being pumped into Britain’s skies. Findings show more than half the population still experience severe light pollution.

The results of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS) annual Star Count Survey show that just over half (53 per cent) of the people taking part could see 10 stars or fewer within the constellation of Orion - indicating severe light pollution in their area.

Almost one thousand location reports revealed that only one in ten (9 per cent) participants could see between 21 and 30 stars and just two per cent of people had truly dark skies, seeing 31 or more stars.

The proportion of people taking part in the survey who live with severe light pollution was down from 54 per cent in 2007 to 53 per cent this year. The results suggest that, despite good initiatives to reduce light pollution in some places, the contamination of Britain’s night skies continues largely unchecked.

Emma Marrington, CPRE Rural Policy Campaigner, said: "When we saturate the night sky with unnecessary light, it damages the character of the countryside and blurs the distinction between town and country. But this isn’t just about a spectacular view of the stars; light pollution can also disrupt wildlife and affect people’s sleeping patterns."

Bob Mizon, Campaign for Dark Skies Coordinator, commented: "Light pollution is a disaster for anyone trying to study the stars. It’s like a veil of light is being drawn across the night sky, denying many people the beauty of a truly starry night. Many children growing up today will never see the Milky Way; never see the unimaginable glory of billions of visible stars shining above them."

In 2010 Councils collectively spent £529 million on street lighting which accounted for around 5-10 per cent of each council’s carbon emissions.

CPRE has welcomed the inclusion in the new planning reforms (National Planning Policy Framework) that local councils be encouraged to plan to reduce light pollution, by encouraging good design, planning policies and decisions to control lighting. With such national guidance in place, and with a number of councils now providing good ‘best practice’ examples of how to limit light pollution, more local authorities can now take action to limit the impact from artificial light on urban and rural communities , intrinsically dark landscapes and the natural environment.

Emma Marrington concluded: "All too often we hear poor excuses for bad or excessive lighting. Of course we need the right, well-designed lighting in the right places – and some areas need to be lit for safety reasons – but there should not be a blanket assumption that glaring lights are needed. The evidence gathered during this year’s Star Count Week shows that we need to take action now to roll back the spread of light pollution."

(GK)