Just one in 100 people in the UK have truly dark night skies where they live, according to the results of a “star count” released yesterday.
And three-fifths (59 per cent) live with severe light pollution in their area, the survey, which saw more than 2,000 people counting the number of stars they could see in the constellation of Orion, revealed. The number of people who could see 10 or fewer stars within the constellation – indicating their night skies are subject to severe light pollution – had increased from 54 per cent when the last survey was conducted in 2007. The Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Campaign for Dark Skies, who organised the star count earlier this year, said the results showed that, despite some work to reduce light pollution, the problem remained across the country.
The survey found that only eight per cent of people could see more than 20 stars within the constellation and just one per cent could see 30 or more stars, indicating they had truly dark skies.
Bob Mizon, Campaign for Dark Skies co-ordinator, said: “The findings of this year’s survey are very worrying.
“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.”
Emma Marrington, CPRE rural policy campaigner, said: “Light pollution damages the character of the countryside and blurs the distinction between town and country.
“But this isn’t just about the effect on stargazing – light pollution can disrupt wildlife and badly affect people’s sleeping patterns.”
Campaigners want better planning regulations to restrict unnecessary lighting and for efforts to make sure the right outdoor lighting is used in the right place - which they say would help save money and carbon emissions.
Ms Marrington added: “All too often we hear poor excuses for bad or excessive lighting, from crime prevention to health and safety, but in many cases these are not backed by hard evidence and are nothing more than a flimsy excuse for poor planning or environmental indifference.”
A number of local councils are already taking steps which aim to reduce costs and energy, but will also tackle light pollution, such as trials to switch off lighting in the early hours of the morning or installing dimmer-switch technology on street lights.