Provided are a backlight assembly and a display device having the same. The backlight assembly comprises an elongated first high voltage lamp extending in a first direction and having respective first and second ends. A second similar lamp is provided so as to be separated at its ends from the corresponding first and second ends of the first lamp by a first gap distance (d1) and to extend substantially, but not fully parallel to the first lamp. An intermediated gap fixing part is provided for fixing at an intermediate position along the lengths of the first and second lamps a second separation gap distance (d2) that is smaller than the first gap distance. As a result of the positioning of the smaller second gap, if it happens at all; electrical interaction noise and/or corona discharge between the high voltage lamps is encouraged to occur at the position of this smaller second gap distance (d2) rather than at the terminal ends of the lamps whereat the lamps couple via power conductors to other parts of the display system.