All, many thanks for the tea and sympathy, and I don’t feel quite so despondent hearing the shared experiences.
Paul A – I’ve come independently to the same conclusion – the Met Office has become useless at forecasting a clear night. It wasn’t that way not that long ago. I have decided when they say clear, they mean the cloud is thin enough to be be able to make out the phase of the Moon. I will try out some of the other sources, Satellite 24 etc. Thank you for the pointers.
I suspect there is particular geographic problem at work here. With more moisture in the air the Straits of Dover seem to hang on to cloud more than they did, and the prevailing SE winds drag it on to the land.
Alex P – love the term ‘photon torpedo’ applied to domestic lighting. My next door neighbour to the SW is half a mile away but the lights on his daughter’s horse paddock illuminate my lounge! Thankfully they aren’t used too often, and earlier, not later. Everything you say matches my experience here. I’ve tried asking for lights to be adjusted etc but no-one gives a damn. And of course the extra moisture in the air exascerbates the stray light.
Cheers, Alan.