Mini digger at 7am on a Saturday morning

[LilyChantilly]

This is a residential street and it's happening at the house next to ours. It woke me up as soon as it started. Next door has just been bought after being on the market for a few months. Needs a lot of work doing before new NDN can move in and they've also decided the entire front and back garden need to be ripped out with a mini digger. New NDN came round and introduced himself a couple of weeks ago, was really friendly and I was pleased we'd have nice new NDN's. Chatted to him a few times since. Thing is, he's not the one driving the digger and I can't see if he's there atm so wondering if he even knows this is happening? So are they BU? I have looked online to try and find out if noise abatement laws / rules cover this but can't find any clear advice. And, does it count as a construction site as they haven't moved in yet? Would like to be able to quote some law or rule if I am going to go round and politely suggest that they don't do this again (and I will be polite, I hate confrontation of any kind so the thought of doing this is ruining my day still further). And it might happen again tomorrow so I know I have to go and say something! I sleep really badly anyway due to hot flushes and the early hours are usually when I get some decent sleep so I feel shattered now and have so much to do today...

We aren't allowed to have work done before 8am around here. I think it's later on a Sunday.

7am is just silly time - noone could think that's ok (but I'm sure someone will be along to say that it's perfect fine!).

Legally I think they are fine, you can be noisy from 7am, and to be honest I probably wouldn't mind but my little one is up from 5am so lay-ins are a distant memory! However my husband gets cross at me if I do the mowing any early than 11am so I am sure I am in the majority. I would probably let it go and you perhaps politely ask him when you next bump into him if he minds the noise starting from xAM and explain you are struggling with sleep. If you have gotten on well so far I am sure he would be understanding :-)

www.gov.uk/guidance/noise-nuisances-how-councils-deal-with-complaints

7am threshold here for noise complaints so YABU I am afraid, although I do believe some councils say 8am so it may be worth checking what it is in your area.

I am not sure that the day of the week is relevant? A huge percentage of people will be up for work on a Saturday. I just don't think 7am is early.

It's bad form though. I wouldn't want to hack off my new neighbours by doing noisy work early in the morning and waking them all up.

This is further complicated by the fact that NDN-to-be has just done us a favour with said mini digger! We have a very big pile of twigs and small off-cuts from the garden up against the fence on their side which I've wanted to take to the tip for ages but it's a big job, our car is very small, and tip only opens at inconvenient hours. So while we were chatting a week ago, NDN offered to have the digger remove the twig pile. This came entirely from him and there was some self-interest on his part as they were putting in a new fence and the pile would have been a bit in the way but nevertheless I was very grateful as it saved us a labourious task. Sorry, not drip-feeding - in my befuddled state I'd forgotten about that offer from NDN until just now when I looked out of the window and the pile has gone. So based on that, do I just suck it up, or do I go and very politely request that they don't do this again tomorrow morning, and during the week start at 8am instead?

Well if it was your twig pile being moved at 7am, I think you have to suck it up!

If i remember rightly its 8am till 1pm, however you hire those things by the day so maybe they are just trying to get ahead ? I'd go raging tomorrow if it happens again !

From my local council website under Noise- building works
Monday to Friday - 8am until 6pm
Saturday - 8am until 1pm
Sunday and/or Bank Holidays - no noisy equipment should be used

I think you should suck it up, too. It's a one off event. He won't be forever refurbishing his house.

Badger cat has a good point, he may only have mini digger for weekend

If they've done you a favour I think you need to just let this go for today. If it happens frequently then maybe say something.

Over here 7am is ok. If NDN are good people let it go.

Yeah I think I will have to suck it up. I mean as for today it's happened, I'm knackered, that's not going to change. But what if it happens tomorrow? Should I ask them to wait until later as it is a Sunday after all?

next time, put your wood cutoffs on freecycle. id have come and got those for my woodburner.

We did offer the twigs to people ages ago via Freegle but no takers.They've been there so long now they're mostly rotten and no good for burning!

It has just occurred to me that because the house needs a lot of work, 7am power tool start times on a weekend could become a regular thing if I don't say something... How about if I start by thanking him for removing the twig pile, have a bit of a friendly chat, than ask him not to have noisy work starting before 8am? Would that be diplomatic enough?

Hmm I'd probably say 'oh my god that was so early this morning, please tell me they won't start til 8 in the week or one of the curtain twitchers will call the council' - all said in a very jokey tone

Thanks for your replies everyone. This has a happy ending - NDN just came over while I was out in the front garden and apologised profusely. It had been one of the workmen who decided to start early, NDN hadn't asked him to and has told him never to do it again. It's not just us, there are potentially 5 households affected so new NDN is feeling pretty bad about the whole thing. He was saying he'd have to buy us a few bottles of wine to make up for it! He also showed me round to see what had been done already and we had a really friendly chat so now once again feeling happy that we'll have nice neighbours as long as his other half is also nice