lights

[wendilla]

My friend helps out at local charity for low income family's so that they can have extra toys for xmas.She also decorates her house with lights display for the children she has done this a few years now .Is it right that people are not going to be allowed to put outside lights up anymore and what is the reason. thanks

[CLOWN TICKLE]

I sincerely hope that this is not the case but I just wonder where and when you saw about it cos it sounds like some April Fool Article

[wendilla]

no this article was in our local paper in the midlands. and it was also said that it was being stopped as it caused interference for people that used telescopes for to view the stars. i cant see why they have to stop people doing this as people go to a lot of work for the festive season.

[wendilla]

forgot to add nothing to do with april fool it was in paper 3 weeks ago .

[CT]

Light pollution is the bane of astronomers lives in the UK. The winter time is of course the time with longest nights, and often clearest. Christmas lights must add a fairly large quantity of light pollution to the sky, but I doubt it is significantly more than normal from street lights and homes etc. What I think should happen is that people be allowed to have their lights and decorations lit up until about 10.30-11pm. No one really needs the lights on after this time. Even if they are doing it for a charity display. I'm also puzzled, as astronomers are a fairly minority group and there are no major observatories that I can think of in that area. I'm surprised that the council would do this for astronomers, yet pleased a the same time. I do think they could've worked out a better solution than a total ban though.

[CLOWN TICKLE]

So is our overstretched Police Force going to fine people at that busy time of the year or are we going to have local wardens shouting

put that light out in the style of warden hodges

[horselady]

I remember seeing something about this. I think it's something to do with the same regulations that now decree we cannot do certain electrical work in our own homes and that a qualified electrician must be used and a certificate issued, checked by the local council. Might be worth your friend checking it out with the council.

[Postdog]

Could also be, even though it is done with good intentions, that it is anti social or causes other problems in the area. I know someone who lived near someone who did this, and it caused a lot of local inconvenience with noise and traffic, which, to be fair, the other people didn't ask for of want.

[Yorkie580]

I think (having got worried about my Christmas lights now) that it's ok as long as you're just plugging them into an existing socket/circuit. The new regulations are aimed mainly at adding circuits, re-wiring circuits, wiring in appliances (especially in bathrooms) etc.

The building regulations dept of your local council can give advice.