A man has resorted to sleeping in his bath to escape the light from a new street lamp which has made it impossible for him to sleep.

Roger Ellis slept in his bath for four nights after a new street light outside his New Addington home.

The 47-year-old, took the desperate action after being unable to get any sleep in his bedroom at the front of the property.

Mr Ellis who works at Richard Frankfurt Photographic, said the street light had been up outside his property for some time, but it was not switched on until Sunday July 22.

He said: "I came back on the Sunday and that was it, it was like the Blackpool illuminations out there.

"I had no sleep for four or five days, I called the council but they were not very helpful. I slept in the bath because it was at the back of the house and was the darkest place, but it wasn't very comfortable."

After calling the council's contractors a guard was put on the light, but it had no affect so Mr Ellis called them back again.

He said: "The contractors have since come back and turned the guard around, which has taken a little bit of light off my property but now my neighbours get the full glow.

"I think there are several households in Aldrich Crescent and Wolsey Crescent affected by this. Something needs to be done, it is a trespass of light on private property and it affects the plants."

A spokesman for Croydon Council said: "The new white streetlights have several benefits. They're scientifically proven to make streets safer for drivers and pedestrians, they cut crime and they are environmentally friendly and more cost-effective as they use a lot less electricity.

"The improvements can sometimes take a little getting used to however, because the new system makes visibility at night so much clearer - and people have become accustomed to dimly lit and gloomy streets at night.

"In situations where the new lights do provide unnecessary illumination onto people's homes we have a series of measures that we employ to minimise this impact."