Mosquito alarm on our street VERY irritating

[Mummyhug]

Our street is a very quiet street, we don't have any antisocial problems and it's a family area with well behaved kids and a primary school at the end of the road.
One of the houses about half way between my house and the school has installed one of those really annoying mosquito alarms and I cannot even fathom why! As far as I am aware, they're one of the only elderly couples on the street.
Having the school at the end of the street, there's a lot of school run traffic along the street and kids cringe away from the sound every morning and afternoon, even crossing the road to try and avoid it.
I'm 25 and I can hear it, it's ear splitting. I have to walk past it at least 4 times a day because of the school run and it's really beginning to cheese me off.
AIBU? Is there anything I can do about it?

What on earth is a mosquito alarm?

It's an antisocial behaviour deterrent.
A really high pitch beeping alarm that generally can only be heard by people under 25.
Our bus station has one outside but I never knew you could get them for private property

Are you outside the U.K.? I've never heard of one.

No, I am in the uk

YANBU

There's one on our street to stop cats going on someone's garden and it gives me such a headache that we have to cross the road to walk past.

I suppose you could knock and politely mention it but I'm not really sure what can be done.

Contact your local environmental health team - they should be able to advise. There was a case in Ipswich a while ago where a couple were issued with an order to switch off a mosquito alarm they'd installed by the council. Mention as well about the kids crossing the road to avoid it - that should get the team to look into it quickly as it sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

That's very antisocial of your neighbours! There must be something the council can do about it?

If it's that loud you can hear it from the street, surely it's antisocial behaviour and therefore worth reporting to the police?

I am in the UK and there are 2 in our immediate area. I am 39 and can hear them. They are sooo annoying and unnecessary and I'm sure they are no deterrent to antisocial behaviour.

They make me feel sorry for the people in the house. Obviously they feel threatened by "youngsters" . We live in a very safe, deadly quiet area and those two houses are nowhere near school routes.

They are definitely a UK thing, I think they were invented by a Welshman?

I think some things marketed as cat deterrents also emit a high pitched noise some people can hear. The owners may not realise that it is audible - you could try knocking in their door to ask, or a polite note to ask if they were aware of the nuisance their gadget is causing.

That must be horrible, I'm 30 and can still hear them. A shop near us was ordered to remove them by the council on the grounds of noise nuisance so I'd try that route (this was a few years back though and councils have cut back services since then, but they might do something!)

I've heard of them. Do your neighbours think that having one will make the kids take a different route to school or something?! Hardly likely if the school is at the end of the street!

Speak to the council about the legalities/noise. They are being more antisocial than the kids just trying to get to school!

Its noise pollution and you can complain to the Environmental Health.

Do you think you could knock on the door and talk to them about it? They (obviously) have no idea what it sounds like, and it might be possible to persuade them that they are now being the antisocial ones! If that fails (or if you know them well enough to know that it has no chance of success): council. They're creating a persistent noise problem, and I can't see why the fact that not everyone can hear it changes that.

Just found this:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11984317/Couple-face-5000-fine-for-installing-anti-child-noise-repellant-outside-their-home.html

Oh no, I feel your pain. I'm 35 and can still hear these bloody things!

Have you reported it to the noise nuisance team? Or to the school - if it is affecting their pupils they may be on your side.

I just think it's completely unnecessary, especially at school times! I might have been more understanding if they only turned it on if and when they were having problems but it's constant and unavoidable.
I think I may report to the council, thank you for your help

I'm 35 and can also hear then. They are agonising. I'd knock the door and ask them to remove it.

Definitely talk to them first before talking to your local council.

The people across the street from us have one of these. I could hear it when we moved in and I was 28, my dh (older) couldn't. I can't hear it either these days so I suppose it's one good thing about getting older and deaf! Either that or they've turned it off. So annoying though!!

Personally I think they should be banned.

I find them extremely anti-social and think the whole "concept" of assuming all young people are troublemakers and should be kept at bay deeply offensive and ageist.

Imagine the uproar if younger people installed systems that deliberately made it uncomfortable for pensioners to use a certain shop, walk a specific route etc.

They impact far more people than just the under 25's in any case (I'm well over that and can hear them) and are simply a noise nuisance.

Sorry - definitely speak to the council.

It's definitely a H&S issue if children are crossing the road to avoid it.

The more people who do this the more likely these horrible alarms are likely to get banned.

Wonders what type of entitled twit buys a house near a school then feels the need to repel children from the area

If your street is as you say, relatevely quiet, no problems with anti social behaviour, why on earth have they installed it? If they live near the school then children passing their house twice a day is unavoidable and it seems unkind of them to install something to 'force' the children to use the other pavement. I live half a dozen houses up from a primary and half an hour or so of chatter and footsteps outside twice a day is just par for the course. I'd speak the council i think OP and ask their advice.

I have never heard of these things and am shocked at the concept of something designed to indiscriminately discourage young people! What an anti-social idea and how horrible for poor children trying to get to school.

What if a young family moved in next door??

They may have installed it for some other reason eg as an attempt to deter cats/mice/other things you can get sonic deterrents for, and not realise what a nuisance they're causing.
Personally I'd knock and say something like "just wanted to check you're okay as there's an alarm going off", see what they say.