THE starry night sky is fast disappearing over Worcester as light pollution blots out the Milky Way.

The city centre sky is now as well-lit at night as the sky over Birmingham. The area of light pollution has spread since 1993, according to night blight maps produced by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Only 11 per cent of the West Midlands still enjoys completely dark night skies, unpolluted by artificial light.

Light pollution has a devastating effect for local astronomers, preventing them from seeing many of the features of the night sky.

"You may be able to see the stars, but when did you last see the Milky Way?" asked the chairman of Worcester Astronomical Society, Chris Livingstone.

"I have been studying astronomy for 40 years and I have noticed a vast decline in the clarity of the sky, due to light pollution.

"Low and high pressure sodium lamps reflect the light back from tiny particles of dust in the atmosphere, which prevents us from seeing faint objects through the overall orange glow."

The acid test for detecting light pollution over our own patch of sky is our ability to detect the Milky Way, which appears as a faint band of light across the sky on clear nights, he said.

Light pollution in Herefordshire and Worcestershire increased by 24 per cent, between 1993 and 2000.

The problem lights are outdoor lights that waste energy by beaming light upwards, which can be seen as a pinky orange glow in the night sky for miles.

Peter Yates, principal planning officer at Worcester City Council, said city planners recognise that it does cause problems.

"Where someone needs planning permission for lighting, for example floodlighting of sports pitches, we ensure that it is focused, pointing downwards and that there is no more lighting than is necessary," he said.