Dark Patch on LHS of LCD screen

I have a Dell Inpiron 1520 Laptop for just over 1 year now.

It has recently developed a dark patch on the Lcd screen to the bottom left of the screen stretching from top to bottom.

Also when i plug in the power cable (if the battery starts to run down) my screen will go blank. However the laptop remains running normally in the background and you can faintly see the operating system.

I am somewhat suprised with Dell as i thought their laptops were well constructed well. I am due to take it to a repair shop as it is out of warranty. I would have thought Dell Laptops would have at least lasted longer than just over a years use.

It would be interesting to know if any other users have experienced this kind of problem and what is the main cause.