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AIBU?

To hate the neighbours for this

190 replies

highlandspringerdog · 04/11/2016 21:56

We live in a little street of terraced houses. Everyone knows everyone and it's usually lovely and safe. My kids are late primary school / early secondary school and I feel totally at ease letting them nip to the shop in their own, to school etc.

Acouple of years ago I arrived home from work to find neighbours were having a firework display with the bucket of fireworks in the road about 2 metres from my front door. I found out about it as I drove down the road and nearly knocked into their cocking bucket. A firework whizzed out of it into the sky when I was practically on top of it. Slammed on brakes. Did not cause enormous car based explosion. Phew.

Neighbours had all their kids milling about - including toddlers just pottering about. I could not believe it!

Parked up at the top of the street and went in my front door. Found one of my kids in tears too scared to go out the house as the fireworks were there but worried as she was meant to be meeting friend at bus stop.
Livid.

I didn't say anything to the twerp neighbours that year as I was too in intimidated - the ones that set these off are the sort of A list neighbours, all friends, go on holiday together etc. I just felt a bit shy to go and say actually can you please not have your bloody fireworks in the street.

Last year - the same. Got home, war bucket in street, fire explosions coming out of it. With a twist - they'd stuck a twisting firework to a tree right outside my house and then lit it. So this fucking thing was whizzing around in a circle with sparks flying out of it and I was stuck in my car watching, and desperately repeat calling the landline phone to tell the kids not to come out of the house. I called the police. They came just as the pricksters were finishing up their display, and told them it was fine!!!

And now it's this year.

I thought I should be brave and ask them not to do it in advance. I've spent about a month worrying about fireworks injuries v annoying the neighbours, and in the end decided not to be a wimp, but to be super friendly.

Texted neighbours. Asked could they maybe not set off fireworks in street this year but instead do in their garden. Said I totally appreciate that some people love fireworks but I found them v frightening and would really appreciate them not being in our street on the pavement or in the road. "We'll try not to do it in the street" was the answer! Followed quickly by a message asking for me to not text them again.

AIBU to wish they'd all fuck the fuck off ? And take their fireworks with them?

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teenyrabbit · 04/11/2016 22:40

No she shouldn't bloody suck it up, in what world is it appropriate to set fireworks off on a through road?! It's dangerous and stupid.

On the corner of our street there's a small patch of grass roads either side and there's been fireworks set off on that all night, which I thought was bloody stupid too.

Private land or not at all imo. Ideally banned from sale to general public morons with no regard to safety and used at organised displays and functions only.

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JenLindleyShitMom · 04/11/2016 22:40

Surely it cannot be legal to set off fireworks in the middle of the road? Shock

Even the garden of a terraced house would be pushing it for me TBH. That can't be safe!

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merrymouse · 04/11/2016 22:41

Illegal and very, very dangerous.

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highlandspringerdog · 04/11/2016 22:44

Totally illegal! They don't care. Think they're above that as they are doing it "safely" which I think is a reference to their stupid tossing bucket.

I did call the police in advance who said call 999 if it happens and also fell environmental health.

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griffinsss · 04/11/2016 22:45

I like the hose idea. It's something just petty enough for me to enjoy. Alternately I would pour a bucket of water over their war box.

How dare they ask you not to text again when you are only thinking about safety. Rude arse holes.

I detest fireworks and the fact that they allow them to be sold to the general public - why can't they just be kept for special displays?

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LowDudgeon · 04/11/2016 22:45

Bloody hell Shock

There's a petition on FB atm asking that there should only be official public fireworks displays (partly for the benefit of animals), & I've held off signing it because I thought it seems a bit over-regulatory, but then I've never come across people like OP's lunatic neighbours. I may well sign it now.

Twats!

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highlandspringerdog · 04/11/2016 22:49

Yeah! And animals! I hadn't even thought of animals! I might print out this tread and put it on all their car bonnets.

Too much??

Grin

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amammabear · 04/11/2016 22:50

It's completely inappropriate!

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Beahun · 04/11/2016 22:50

Look what I found! Your neighbors sound awful.
The law says you must not set off or throw fireworks (including sparklers) in the street or other public places. You must not set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except for: Bonfire Night, when the cut off is midnight. New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, when the cut off is 1am.23 Sep 2016

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Notcontent · 04/11/2016 22:53

You are not being unreasonable.

I am not British, so when I first started living in London I was amazed that fireworks are so freely available and that there seem to be no restrictions on them. They are dangerous and they can also be incredibly noisy and upsetting for people.

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Notcontent · 04/11/2016 22:56

That's really interesting Beahun. But no one seems to enforce these rules. Just like no one seems to enforce the rules on littering, dog poo, etc. I could go on...

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SpunkyMummy · 04/11/2016 22:57

Call the police? Sounds dangerous.

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Lorelei76 · 04/11/2016 22:58

Can you get other neighbours on side?
I'm stunned at how stupid these people are being.

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wombattoo · 04/11/2016 22:58

Like literally you're just walking down the street, and notice a black bucket in the road where cars go, and suddenly fireworks shoot out of it! I just couldn't believe it! What if I'd walked over and looked in it? What if it fell over when a car drove into it?

They prefer it in the street as then loads of them can all stand together and watch without one family having to officially "host" and have half the street in their house.

So if there is a crowd of your neighbours standing around together in the street looking towards the bucket you wouldn't walk over and look in it would you? I think YABU and a tad over dramatic, however, I believe it is an offence to light a firework within 50 meters of a public highway (or something similar) so they are in the wrong.

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highlandspringerdog · 04/11/2016 23:02

No I'm not being dramatic. If you're driving down the road - as I was - you don't notice the people at the other end, on the pavement, on other side of bucket. I honestly didn't see anything until a firework shot up. I'm not talking fifty people by the way, I'm talking about 12.

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MagikarpetRide · 04/11/2016 23:02

A long time ago someone did a garden display and didn't appropriately ground one before lighting it. It fell, turned round and fired at the spectators. It was pure luck no one got injured, though property did badly. Sadly until these incidents happen some people don't realise how dangerous they are. YANBU at all.

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LittlePaintBox · 04/11/2016 23:02

Call the police as soon as there's any sign of fireworks being let off in the street, this is literally an accident waiting to happen and

The law says you must not set off or throw fireworks (including sparklers) in the street or other public places

www.gov.uk/fireworks-the-law

Sorry to sound like a health and safety killjoy, but these laws are in place for a reason.

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LowDudgeon · 04/11/2016 23:10
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wombattoo · 04/11/2016 23:10

Fair enough highland but you described it as a little street of terraces and said that half the neighbours were involved, so it sounds more like a community event.

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FinnMcCool · 04/11/2016 23:11

For once, I actually agree with the laws in Northern Ireland. We need a licence to buy fireworks. It stops all this nonsense.
Of course, there are some from private parties but not this free for all.

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wombattoo · 04/11/2016 23:12

I feel obliged to point out that I do not like bonfire night and get annoyed at hearing fireworks going off for weeks before and after, but I can't get worked up about neighbours coming together for an event.

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JustSpeakSense · 04/11/2016 23:13

I think your nice 'neighbourly' relationship probably ended when you called the police.

Why don't you go out for the evening, I'm sure their amateur firework display can't last very long anyway.

I don't like fireworks, because of the trauma it causes animals. However it happens every year, so you are going to have to find a way to deal with it. I'm not sure falling out with your neighbours was really worth it.

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nocoolnamesleft · 04/11/2016 23:16

Frankly dangerous. We have, as always, seen the number of kids needing treatment for burns shoot through the roof over the last few days...

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Briarthorn · 04/11/2016 23:21

You must not set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except for: Bonfire Night, when the cut off is midnight. New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, when the cut off is 1am

Wonder if the persons who wrote and agreed on that don't have children / neighbours within five miles / actual jobs.

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