The result of recent upgrades to street lighting in some streets
in the village has stunned local residents - the resultant lighting
is now
many
times brighter than it was previously and parts of the village are
illuminated to the level of a retail park.
Whilst we are constantly reminded of the importance of recycling
and of saving energy, it seems bazaar that our village street lighting
has been upgraded to such a high level. In Wood Lane, the night-time
lighting is now so bright that residents can easily read in their
gardens. Indeed,
two residents of the same street, whilst on the way to a
local Ale House, reported hearing birds singing at 9.30pm.
It is hard to understand the reasoning behind this change. Was the
old lighting insufficient? Is there a new EEC Directive? Were there
complaints about the old lighting?
There are also issues about light pollution which affects our night
skies. Such a massive increase in lighting power can only make things
worse. See www.dark-skies.org for
more information about the The Campaign for Dark Skies.
If we can find out more information, we'll report it here.
Stop Press: the lights have
all been reduced from 150W to 100W, and to date nobody has got lost.
Well done Leicestershire County Council !
