‘It’s April, they’re on constantly!’ Lincoln couple struggling to sleep as neighbours still have ‘intense’ Christmas lights up

A couple say their sleep has been disturbed for months after their neighbour put up flashing Christmas lights near their windows.

Richard Bartlett and Caroline Levesque-Bartlett of Lincoln have been forced to use blackout curtains in their St Andrew’s Drive bedroom, but the intense lights still get through.

They have been fighting for months to get the unseasonal festive display taken down.

There are several illuminated items at ground level, and a flashing Christmas tree on the porch roof, almost level with the properties’ bedroom windows.

Richard said: “We didn’t think anything when our neighbour put up a display at Christmas as many people do.

“Most take theirs down around January 6, but hers stayed up and up and up. It’s now April, and they’re still on constantly.

“There are pretty intense LEDs directly outside our living room window which are quite disruptive – we can see them whenever we’re watching TV.

“We’ve had to put up extra blackout blinds in the bedroom, but the lights still come through them.

“The fact they’re pulsing makes you wake up more – you can’t zone them out.”

While it’s not illegal to leave Christmas lights up, councils can serve notices to take them down if they interfere with other people’s health or use of their property.

Caroline said: “The light woke me up at 4.30am this morning. Sometimes they will stay on all night and into the morning – there’s no fixed pattern.

“We reported it to the council at the end of January, but we’ve had mixed messages so far.

“One person who came out told us it could be considered anti-social behaviour, but another didn’t think they were high enough to be considered a nuisance.

“Someone is coming to have another look this week.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has attempted to contact the neighbour for comment.

The City of Lincoln Council has also been contacted for comment.