Residents in a south coast beauty spot are taking action against their local football club, saying its efforts to keep the pitch in tip-top condition through the winter are harming the ecosytem.

At Brighton and Hove Albion’s Amex stadium, lights and under-soil heaters are left on all night to encourage the grass to grow, and the lights create a glow that campaigners claim can be seen for miles across the South Downs and the city of Brighton.

A petition calling for the club to “put that light out”, organised by artist Steve Geliot, has garnered more than 9,000 signatures. Some signatories are worried about the impact the lights are having on wildlife, particularly insects: one woman claims she can hear birds still singing in her garden at 9pm. Others complain the lights are keeping them awake.

The Premier League club has defended its methods of keeping the turf in a standard condition, saying it is safer for footballers to play on, but Geliot replied that it should look for alternative ways to maintain the grass.

“I really wish Brighton well and recognise that the club does great things for the wider community but surely they can find an alternative? There must be an artificial lighting system where the beams don’t reflect up but are focused down on the pitch,” he said. “At present, this giant splurge of light everywhere must be damaging to wildlife, especially birds and insects, as well as keeping some folk up at night who can’t sleep.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Falmer Village in the South Downs, pictured at 9pm when the lights were on at the Amex stadium Photograph: Steve Geliot

The 59-year-old photographer, videographer and sculptor said he has taken shots of the orange glow from as far away as the Long Man of Wilmington, the ancient hill figure drawn on the South Downs, which is 11 miles from the stadium.

“The light pollution is blocking out some of the stars as well, disturbing sleep and causing damage to the ecosystem,” Geliot said. “The club should be helped to find an alternative lighting system that avoids all this.”

A spokesperson for the club said: “With millions of pounds’ worth of athletic and football talent on display each home matchday, we must not only meet and maintain league regulations for the quality of our playing surface, but we also have a duty of care to our players and those of visiting teams.

This giant splurge of light everywhere must be damaging to wildlife, as well as keeping some folk up at night Steve Geliot

“In the winter months, while we may at times experienced high rainfall and high winds, with little or no natural sunlight, a grass pitch misses a key element of its natural ability to regenerate and grow after use. We must therefore replicate that loss of light artificially.

“We take our responsibilities for the environment very seriously, but like airlines, car manufacturers, supermarkets, consumer goods factories, and other businesses we all use every day, it is impossible for us to eliminate our environmental footprint altogether.”

Jeff Travis, a spokesman for the South Downs national park, said it did not have any powers to force the club to dim or turn off the lights because the stadium was just outside its boundary.

“We will, however, seek informal ways to work with the club to see what may be possible to reduce the effects of the lighting on the national park and its ‘Dark Sky’ designation,” Travis said, ahead of the park’s Dark Skies festival, which starts on Friday.

Some critics of the petition have claimed fans of Brighton’s greatest rivals, Crystal Palace, are signing up so they can cause reputational damage to the club, but Geliot said: “We have had only two Palace fans make a few rum remarks after signing the petition, but I’ve filtered them out.

“This is all about Brighton people only – including loyal fans – who want the club to do something about this problem.”