To hate the neighbours for this

[highlandspringerdog]

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?

[HeCantBeSerious]

[highlandspringerdog]

Ha! I suppose if it's part of the cultural expectation of a place that's a different thing. When in Rome etc. Just not in my bloody street!

[highlandspringerdog]

Maybe I should encourage my neighbours to move there.

[Monroe]

Sorry if this is a daft question but from what I've read the bucket is actually in the road? How do passing cars not just drive over the top of it

[GettingMuckyFingersCrossed]

Let your neighbours sulk OP
They were just hoping nobody would say anything

Why won't it let me sign the petition ?

[RiverTam]

OP, you've given me a business idea, an estate agency specifically to sell properties to anti social people like, as you said, heavy metal bands, to pay out your hateful neighbours. Judging by the threads in MN, it should be a goer!

[ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe]

Are you in the UK, Mucky?

[ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe]

try here.

it's the top one, over 1,500 signature in the last hour!

petition.parliament.uk

[ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe]

Sorry, over 1,100 but I'm sure it will get much higher today!

[highlandspringerdog]

They stop just short when they see it! I mean our road isn't that busy but it is a normal residential road and cars go down it. If they didn't stop you're right, they would crash into the bucket. It's too big for them to just drive over without knocking it over.

[highlandspringerdog]

Love it.

[okok]

we still have war glass* in several panes of our front windows so we got new curtains on the insurance when our neighbours let of fireworks in the street

*The float glass they used to replace windows with during the war years was pretty thin so if a football hits it, they go - it stood no chance against a firework.

That's me outed

[TSSDNCOP]

I see this happening so often now. You make a polite, reasonable request and are met with a hostile response.

You are a fun-sponge, how very dare you suggest what they are going is dangerous, and worse than anything how dare you highlight that they're not looking after their kids? It just beggars belief that people can be so inverted.

How can the OP's request be unreasonable-there is a black (of all colours) bucket in the middle of the street with fireworks coming out of it. The "display" is being led by a minority that dis-includes the rest of the street. There are kids in close proximity.

It isn't a community event, it is anti-social behaviour.

[JosephineMaynard]

I bet the neighbours haven't stopped to think about the possible consequences if a car sees the bucket in the middle of the road, stops - and then the driver or passenger gets out of the car to move the bucket out of the road just about the time the fireworks are due to go off.

That's an entirely plausible scenario, given that this isn't an official display with road closures, warnings about firework timings, and stewards to prevent people getting too close. And given it's a through road. Let's face it, if you see a bucket in the middle of the road, unless you're one of OPs neighbours, your first thought is unlikely to be "ooh, that must be full of fireworks, better keep back"

[highlandspringerdog]

Exactly. It's waking me up in the middle of night thinking about it! I also have that thing that I know and my kids know what is in the bucket, but sometimes your brain disengages from your body and you just look in anyway, just to check, or something, but anyway. Fuckers.

[CaliforniaHorcrux]

Bluntness100, Wasn't being ridiculous and don't think there's anything wrong with asking if there's a back story but you didn't do that you posted several times making a strong cynical insinuation imo and wouldn't let it go, that's all

If you think that one text where they said don't contact us again is weird then yeh you're right you've been lucky enough to have reasonable neighbours

[TheCatsMother99]

I thought exactly the same as Josephine, I can very easily imagine someone getting out a car to move the bucket, at which point a firework goes off and causes an injury.

Your neighbors are seriously unreasonable. I'm surprised the police told them it was ok when they turned up as it was ending the other year.

[DontMindMe1]

Have you thought about calling your local fire brigade and discussing this with them? They're the ones who have to attend incidents and it could all be avoided if just one person spoke up.

Call them and see what advice they got to give. Be funny if a fireman turns up as soon as they set up their bucket and confiscates the lot! Firemen are allowed to do that if there are serious health and safety hazards - and pedestrians, cars, power lines etc all come under that.

[2kids2dogsnosense]

Good idea don'tmind

Most fireman aren't exactly dead keen on fireworks to start off with, even when they are used sensibly.

Personally I would like to see celebrations for Bonfire Night (or "scare the crap out of your pet day" as it could be more accurately called) banned except for properly organised displays.

[WLF46]

Setting fireworks off in the street is incredibly stupid and dangerous. Call the police, or maybe a non-emergency call to the local fire brigade to see if they can send someone round to have a word.

[merrymouse]

Yes, agree re: fire brigade.

a firework display in the street is completely stupid for many reasons, but there us also added danger that with nobody taking full responsibility, everyone is assuming that somebody else is in charge of keeping it safe. (As far as any fireworks display randomly held in the street can be safe).

[highlandspringerdog]

Can see fireworks in their front window now! Unsure f they are to be launched in street or in garden. Moment of truth approaches.

[LetsAllEatCakes]

Are you going to call the fire department or police if it's in the street?

[ZigZagIntoTheBlue]

Call the local fire station and ask 'advice' chances are they'll come and have a chat hopefully confiscate it if they're not too busy

[HeCantBeSerious]

Again, in Iceland there are no organised displays and it's the fire service selling the fireworks to the public for them to let off in the street.

I can't get very exercised about it.