My friend and her husband live on a private estate somewhere in Sussex. They have an outdoor light in the garden which stays on until about midnight. They like it on in this weather, sitting outside also the animals like it.

An elderly woman who backs on to them banged on their door at 11.30 one night (its unacceptable to knock on a neighbours door at this time IMO unless there is some sort of emergency) to say that the light was shining into their bedroom and was causing “light pollution”.

I would have told her politely to bog off and get thicker curtains and not harass me knocking at that time, what a cheek, especially with what kind of neighbours from hell you could have! Don’t know what others think?

Depends on how bright it is. If it is very bright and shines into a neighbour's bedroom I think the neighbour has every right to ask you to turn it off, or down, or whatever.

Hope your friend has seen it that way, or is she like you and tells them to bog off? Glad I don't live next door to you by the way.

Hope your friend has seen it that way, or is she like you and tells them to bog off? Glad I don't live next door to you by the way.

I think she could have knocked the next day rather than hammering on the door at that time when they have children in bed.

Believe me survivorfan when you have had neighbours like I have, a light that goes off at mid night anyway is a VERY petty thing to complain about and you should thank the Lord that your neighbours are decent, quiet and clean!

Hmmmm, i think like SF said it would depend if the light was shining in the neighbours window.

Im suprised it was causing much light though as normally an outside light would be attached to the back wall of the house - and normally houses are surrounded in fences. So the chances of much light in the neighbours window is slight.

BUT if the light is very high, and the fences arent blocking it sufficiently - and it is indeed making her bedroom feel like a disco then she has every reason to complain. I think i would too.

Actually in our last house one of our neighbours had a really bright outside light that was kept on all night (I dread to think what their leccy bill was like). It would shine directly into our bathroom window and light the room up. You felt like you were being spied on whilst having a wee. Luckily we didnt sleep in the bathroom (funny that) so it wasnt too much of an annoyance.

sorry MB - I think your mates are inconsiderate on this occasion, as I don't think an elderly neighbour would be up and about complaining at - as you said - the 'unacceptable' hour of 11.30 unless it was necessary.

tell your mates to get candles. {more romantic anyway} or some alternative lighting that is more neighbour friendly.

I'm coming from the neighbours point of view here, sorry.

We had some neighbours at the back of our house who put lights in their conservatory that shone like an airport runway.
We go outside to smoke and it was like going outside in the daytime! Blinded by the light!

I'd do what TE says, get the candles out, much more atmospheric.:)

I think most people don't like complaining to their neighbours but this one probably laid in bed night after night having their sleep disturbed and then finaly cracked and decided they had to do something.
It's horrible, and i know from experience, having to confront a neighbour about anything so this woman had probably reached the end of their tether.
Couldn't your freinds have a light that they turn on and off when they want to sit in their garden, therefore not wasting energy and keeping their bills down too.
Light pollution is a serious problem too, as an amateur astronomer it's something that annoys me, just take a look at this pic.http://www.inquinamentoluminoso.it/worldatlas/images/fig1.jpg