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Supermarket lights like 'trying to contact aliens'

Simon Bryson Lights illuminate the sky. In the foreground are silhouettes of trees and electricity wires.Simon Bryson
Locals have photographed the floodlights illuminating the night sky

People living near a supermarket have complained they are being disturbed by "blinding" new floodlights in its car park.

The lighting at Asda in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, was installed in August after customers said the existing ones were too dim.

But one local resident said the new fixtures were so bright it looked like the supermarket was "trying to make contact with aliens”.

Asda said a team of engineers would be making adjustments to the brightness.

Handout A car pulling out of a junction. It is surrounded by four or five very bright street lights.Handout
The lights are in the Asda car park, off Bournemouth Road

Dave Grubb, who lives on Keeble Road, about 0.75 miles (1.2km) away from the supermarket, said he could see a "horrible glow" in the night sky from his house.

"You'd think there was a stadium there," he said, adding: "I understand the need for lighting a car park but you don't need to light the whole of Chandler's Ford too."

The 68-year-old's wife Tracey first noticed the glow while sitting in their garden on 26 August and went to investigate in her car.

"When she came off roundabout to get into Asda she almost hit the kerb because she was blinded," Mr Grubb said.

Helen Attridge A glow in the night sky can be seen, in the foreground there are terraced housesHelen Attridge
One person says she can see the lights from her house in Velmore Road, nearly 0.5 miles (0.8km) away

Seamus Larkin, who works night shifts in a building behind the supermarket, said he was concerned they could be "potentially blinding" for motorists nearby.

"I drove to work last week at 01:00 BST and saw just how bright they are," he said.

A regular user of Bournemouth Road, who asked not to be named, agreed the "excessively bright" and "unnecessary" lights were a hazard for drivers.

"It absolutely blinds motorists at night on an already dark and dangerous road," she said.

"It's a danger to motorists and also is environmentally bad for people living nearby."

Tracy Piper A slightly blurry photo of five bright street lights in a supermarket car park.Tracy Piper
Drivers who use Bournemouth Road have raised concerns about the brightness of the new lights

An Asda spokesperson said: “Whilst we haven't received any complaints about the brightness of the floodlights at our Eastleigh store, we would like to reassure residents that we currently have a team of engineers on site who are looking into this and will be making any necessary adjustments."

Eastleigh Borough Council confirmed it had received complaints about the issue and was investigating the matter.

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