Fuming residents say their world-famous night skies have been ruined by dazzling lights beaming from a new Shell petrol station. Stargazers have blasted the fuel giant and accused them of “blatant light pollution” after they built a garage in a sleepy village.
The Shell garage and Spar opened in the village – which has just 458 residents and is one of the darkest places in the country – last November. Thropton, Northumberland, is on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, which has been named one of the world’s best places to gaze at the stars. Several residents are now calling for the garage to either shut at night or close completely over fears the beaming lights will drive star-watching tourists away.
One said: “We are fortunate to live in one of the most unspoilt areas of Northumberland, yet they slap a big petrol station in the middle of us. There is blatant light pollution seeping into the night sky.
