A Huntingdon woman says a simple change of lighting outside her home has turned into a nightmare. Sally Ingram says a decision to switch the street lamp to LED lighting has turned it into a spotlight “that lights up every room in our house”.
She said: “If I had an air rifle I’d probably shoot it. I am not even sure who is responsible.
“We had a yellow light bulb previously – it used to come on every other day – but apparently that’s not enough.
“Now we have this outside our house and it’s like a spotlight in our house.”
The change was made to the street lamp in Martin Close, Godmanchester, and shines directly into Sally’s home opposite.
She said: “Its awful in our house it lights all of the rooms at the front. I would rather it be dark than a spotlight.
“After all everyone here has security lights on houses that light up when anyone goes past so it’s not that dark.”
She added: “On Thursday I had an awful night’s sleep and had to get up at 5am for work.”
Sally told CambsNews she spoke to the man who changed the lighting and she said he told her it was because someone had complained.
“The thing is the people who complained it’s not even outside their house,” she said.
She said she asked if a shield could be placed over the lighting to soften it but was told by man changing the light he didn’t have one on his van.
“I went out to the guy who did the work when he pulled up in a van,” she said.
“I asked why you are changing the light. He told me they had lots of complaints about the lights not working – I do not actually but I certainly did not complain.”
She said some people had suggested she could buy black out curtains “but why should I; this is ridiculous”.
Since speaking to CambsNews Sally says she has contacted Huntingdonshire District Council and also Balfour Beatty, who are responsible for 53,500 streetlights on highways on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council.
“So far no one seems able to help,” she added.
