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Original poster

To not want to be woken at 4am for this?

57 replies

Hicks123 · 06/07/2026 06:57

Every day I am woken between 3am and 4am by a newspaper delivery guy with a car that sounds like a motorbike. Drives into my quiet close leaves the car idling outside my window while delivering newspapers to my (mostly retired) neighbours. For context, I am menopausal with insomnia, a light sleeper, with a child with SEN who is unwell (long term), am battling the system for support, I work, and I am already on my knees. This is the last straw. What can I do? I have tried white noise, can’t do earplugs as I need to hear my child, too hot to shut the windows. Am thinking of cancelling everyone’s papers on their behalf so I can have a decent nights sleep. 😂. I’m only half joking.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
MuminMama · 07/07/2026 08:05

I use Quietons. They are expensive but changed my life. Now I sleep through some of the hoohaa that goes on at all hours. I can still hear a child as they mostly cut out deeper noises.

Original poster
Hicks123 · 06/07/2026 17:53

Thanks for all the replies. So the point of my post was to see if I was being unreasonable to be annoyed/frustrated at being woken up and it seems I’m not alone, and others have asked people to consider them, so I will do this. I didn’t know if I was overreacting due to being tired and stressed. I don’t want a guy to lose his job, and I don’t expect my neighbours to stop reading the paper (although I’d like them to). No I don’t want to wander out in the street at 4am in my PJs as many people feel I should. He isn’t there for long, but it’s long enough to wake me up and his car is really loud. I will politely ask where they get the papers and mention to the newsagent how loud the delivery guys car is and will look into the snoozeband which was a really helpful suggestion I wouldn’t have got if I hadn’t asked on here. For those who just wanted to have a go, I don’t understand why you can’t just scroll on… Thank goodness most people are kind and helpful. Thanks everyone.

OP posts:
Cheeky19863 · 06/07/2026 15:48

Heres a novel idea....speak to him?

BuildbyNumbere · 06/07/2026 14:11

HalzTangz · 06/07/2026 12:58

Some things don't need discussion or advice. It needs common sense which is to speak directly to the driver and/or the business

Show quote history

Which it appears the OP is unwilling to do … 🤷🏻‍♀️

Original poster
Hicks123 · 06/07/2026 13:49

LakieLady · 06/07/2026 08:23

YANBU, OP.

I feel the same about the one person in my street who has milk delivered at approx 4.15 am six days a week. It's a noisy diesel vehicle, too.

If I knew which house it was they deliver to, I'd offer to buy their milk from a supermarket and deliver it myself.

I totally understand- I was thinking of paying for an online newspaper subscription for my neighbours! Not really, but at 4am it seemed a good idea.

OP posts:
ClaredeBear · 06/07/2026 13:32

You’re not unreasonable at all - a car idling will often wake people and he should leave it idling anyway, so perhaps you can point this out to the business owner. I don’t see why you can’t ask the neighbours if they know why you’re being woken up at 4 am - they might have the same issue. I also thought this was football related! I think @PixieCrustmakes a good point too - I have managed to to train myself to get back to sleep before the adrenaline rage hits.

BauhausOfEliott · 06/07/2026 13:27

plomh · 06/07/2026 07:34

It’s a bit early for newspapers? They stop printing around 2:30am and get delivered to shops by 5am

It depends where you live and what editions they are.

I used to work for a newsagent when I was a teenager in a location close to London and the newspapers had already been dropped off and piled up on pallets outside the shop every morning when I arrived at 5am to open up the shop.

menopausalmare · 06/07/2026 13:02

Ditto the milk and more man.

forgetfulpigeon · 06/07/2026 13:00

Just here in solidarity - ours isn’t newspapers but delivery of milk to a few neighbours’ houses. Speeding into the cul de sac, lots of noise and slamming doors then zooming away. Even when it’s hot I avoid having the bedroom windows open because the noise wakes me up, much to my husband’s frustration 😅

HalzTangz · 06/07/2026 12:58

fuckeditupbadly · 06/07/2026 07:26

What is the point of posts like this? Does it make you feel good having a dig at someone who is upset about something? I assume you never discuss a problem with anyone? Never need advice? Just plunge right in with action. Well done, you're doing life so much better than all us poor, ineffectual saps. Hmm

Show quote history

Some things don't need discussion or advice. It needs common sense which is to speak directly to the driver and/or the business

HalzTangz · 06/07/2026 12:56

Pop out and tell him, if he's half decent he will park away from you and walk down to deliver the papers

BuildbyNumbere · 06/07/2026 12:45

TheDenimPoet · 06/07/2026 12:17

That's not what time newspapers get delivered. I would suspect they're delivering something slightly less legal..

Haha to a bunch of retired people?

BuildbyNumbere · 06/07/2026 12:44

Hicks123 · 06/07/2026 07:40

Thank you for your replies. No I haven’t been out at 4am (in my PJs!) to talk to him. He’s just doing his job and wherever he stopped would wake me up as his car is so damn loud. I don’t know where the papers come from or I would have spoken to them already. I don’t want to upset my neighbours but will try to find out where. I’ll just add that into my long to-do list. Thank you for the supportive comments especially @PixieCrust I think that’s a very good point about trying to get myself back to sleep.

So you don’t want to talk to him, don’t know which business it is, or want to ask your neighbours for risk of upsetting them … it’s very unclear what you expect people to advise then?!?

BuildbyNumbere · 06/07/2026 12:42

Contact the shop and get them to tell him to turn the engine off when delivering to your close.

Abricot1983 · 06/07/2026 12:37

Can you leave a window open at the back of the house and leave your door open?
in Spanish houses they put bars on a small downstairs window so at night they can leave it open and it is secure.
if you open the loft the hot air will go up to the attic.

WhatATimeToBeAlive · 06/07/2026 12:31

ChaliceinWonderland · 06/07/2026 08:07

My street does this too. All retired. I just asked them nicely to cancel their deliveries or ask their newspaper man to park round thd corner, he now parks round the corner. I'm a singe parent too working ft with the menopause , I get it.

Last night my ds17 did wake me up At 4am but I was happy to hear we had won!

You asked them to cancel their deliveries?! Really?

Monty36 · 06/07/2026 12:29

Delivers newspapers at 3 and 4am ? I would be talking to the newsagent. Completely unnecessary and mad.
Nobody needs to deliver a newspaper at that hour.

dudsville · 06/07/2026 12:23

This is so annoying. Similarly, lots of my street used to get milk deliveries, including us, but we've all stopped that now. The newspaper deliverer though (we also get a paper delivered) went through a phase of having an awfully loud car. So I know the pain of that. No suggestions, just synpathy.

TheDenimPoet · 06/07/2026 12:17

That's not what time newspapers get delivered. I would suspect they're delivering something slightly less legal..

Happyjoe · 06/07/2026 11:34

Agree with others, ask neighbours where they get their papers from. You won't upset them at all!
As for being too hot, shut the windows just as you get into bed, and get one of those silent pedestal fans. As a menopausal lady who can't have the windows open through noise, they are a godsend.
Good luck.

BunnyLake · 06/07/2026 10:15

WonderingWhetherToHaveABurgerOrChips · 06/07/2026 08:51

You remind me of when i was heavily pregnant and the arsehole in his noisy diesel milk van who had decided that after delivering milk to the lady over the road he would spend 10 minutes banging all the milk bottles on his van together and then sit and read the newspaper with his engine revving away - every night from 2.30am for up to 45 minutes. I took a diary and sent it to Milk&More in the end, I was absolutely raging 😁 Someone had a word though and he began turning his engine off at least.

I cancelled my milk delivery because I was acutely aware of how disturbing it must have been for my neighbours (as well as me), with his lights and clanking. When I was a kid the milkman would come around at a more civilised time but this one was 1-2am.

DaisyChain505 · 06/07/2026 10:00

Ask your neighbours where they get their newspapers delivered from and contact the shop to ask if they could get their delivery driver to turn his engine off when delivering in your street. It is rather inconsiderate of them.

jibjibb · 06/07/2026 09:41

Shut your window, use a fan.

katepilar · 06/07/2026 09:34

readingmakesmehappy · 06/07/2026 07:04

Have you found out the delivery company and contacted them to complain? If you haven’t yet done that, why are you posting rather than doing something?

Its perfectly fine to chat to people about stuff that is bothering you. Thats what an internet forum is for.

Also its useful for tips about what can be done.

katepilar · 06/07/2026 09:33

onmylastnerveseriously · 06/07/2026 07:07

Have you gone out and just asked him nicely not to do that?

She should not have to to that. 4 am is ment to be quiet night time.

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