Leeds is a typical example of a UK city, where wasted light spills out for many miles into the countryside. Lights from vacant offices, shops & car-parks are needlessly left on at all hours of the night; the majority of our street-lights have no controls; and there is no environmental 'plan' for permitted lighting levels. Statutory regulations are also inadequate; local planning considerations around lighting are perfunctory at best; and in shops & DIY stores, exterior lighting products are poorly designed, too bright or inefficient. It's not surprising then, that in CPRE's annual Star-Count, Leeds falls under the 'severe light pollution' category.
It hasn't always been this way - the problem of light pollution has been gradually creeping up on us since the 1950s. Over time lighting has got cheaper, brighter and much more prolific. Up until the 1950s practically everybody would have been able to see our galactic home - the Milky Way. Today it's thought that about 85% of the UK population have never seen it & nobody living in the Leeds area stands a chance of seeing it from the back gardens.
For amateur astronomers this is a nuisance, but there are also arguably more important environmental impacts of Artificial Light At Night (ALAN), particularly for nocturnal wildlife, including insects which have suffered sharp population declines in recent decades.
Today's Lighting technology has improved to the point where there is now the opportunity to provide adequate lighting where and when it is needed, but in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. All that's needed is the willingness to do so.