Red and orange flares show commercial lighting in both West and East Yorkshire

Members of the Campaign to Protect Rural England claim that light pollution in the region is now 30% greater than ten years ago.

And views of the Milky Way, Northern lights and shooting stars are all but invisible to the naked eye because of the amount of ambient light.

Satellite images of the area show whole swathes covered in an orange-yellow glow which signifies intense light output from man-made structures.

Ian McKechnie, the senior Environmental Health Officer at the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, says the light pollution has now got out of control.

"Light pollution is now 28-30% worse than it was ten years ago and most alarmingly half of the areas in East Yorkshire that had dark skies ten years ago are now polluted with light.

"We'd like more legal powers to control light pollution."

Ian McKechnie says the pollution has increase 30% in 10 years

He said one of the main sources of light in rural areas are domestic security lights and the lighting in commercial glasshouses.

This, he added, is a particular problem in the Beverley area.

CCTV systems which operate in many towns and cities require stronger lighting which causes further light pollution, he concluded.

And Margaret Cockbill, who chairs the Campaign to Protect Rural England in East Yorkshire says she wants to name and shame firms and organisations that use inefficient lighting, contributing to an orange glow in the sky after dark.

"We would like people to send information about good as well as bad examples of lighting to us."