A Vision Network Comments On How Light Pollution Saturates The UK Night Skies

A Vision Network is a Cardiff based sales and marketing company and is shocked by a recent discovery that half of the UK's population cannot see many stars because the night skies are still "saturated" with light pollution.  Some 53% of those who joined a recent star count failed to see more than 10 stars in the Orion constellation. That had decreased only very slightly from 54% since 2007, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Campaign for Dark Skies.  The committee said that in 2010, local authorities collectively spent more than £500m on street lighting, accounting for 5% to 10% of each council's carbon emissions. The Managing Director of A Vision Network said, ‘this is a massive spend for the local authorities, cutting the amount of lighting nationwide has multiple benefits.’ 

A number of councils have tested schemes to switch off or dim street lights when they are not needed, although the trials have often proved controversial with residents. The information was gathered as part of the annual Star Count survey, which was held across two weeks in January and February this year.  Fewer than one in 10 said they could see between 21 and 30 stars, and just 2% of people had truly dark skies, seeing 31 or more stars. Emma Marrington, a rural policy campaigner for the CPRE, says: "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. 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."  A Vision Network values maintaining the worlds beauty with the MD saying, ‘is a scary thought what else the next generations will be missing out on with so many not taking good care of our natural surroundings. Every step needs to be taken preserving our world.’ 

The Local Government Association, which represents councils, said local authorities were "well ahead of the game on this issue". "Over the past two years scores of local authorities up and down the country have been trialling the switching off and dimming of street lights late at night in quieter areas," it said. However, it added public safety had to come first and councils would not cut lighting if a large number of people were strongly opposed to the idea and there were genuine safety concerns. It added: "There is also a role for businesses to play in ensuring glaring lights and neon signs that light up the night sky are not left on unnecessarily." Both sides have compelling points – safety vs. light pollution and over spending – a source from A Vision Network continues, ‘the intentions from both points of view are good – but where do you draw the line.’

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