To report my neighbour to the police?

[Rottenneighbour]

I live on a small estate (mixed council and private) and our property faces a small courtyard. One neighbour frequently smokes on his balcony throughout the night. He often smokes marijuana and the odour is quite strong. I have asthma and am pregnant and it makes me feel quite ill, so I've been sleeping on the sofa. He also has loud, hacking coughing fits lasting 15 minutes or more and watches loud clips/music videos on his mobile with no headphones at 2, 3, 4 am. Baby will soon be sleeping in our room and with the heat, can't bear to have the windows shut but don't want her exposed to the smoke.

AIBU to report neighbour to the police, or is there something else that can be done? I'm not able to knock on the door as I don't know exactly which flat is his. Have thought about yelling across the courtyard but that seems aggressive especially at 3 am...but I'm bloody close to just spraying him with our hose pipe!

However, I think it's antisocial to report him to the police before asking politely for him to stop especially as he's about to have his peace ended by the OP's baby.

Why are you assuming her baby will disturb him?

Why do Police bother raiding cannabis farms in people's houses then, if it's not a problem?

Could you ask him not to smoke there for reasons stated, he doesn't have to take notice but I'd think that is first step.

We asked our old neighbour not to smoke out the front of the house as his cigarettes were really strong and went into both dcs rooms. He moved to out the back and it went into our room but we appreciated the compromise.

Shatners - big difference between someone smoking on their balcony and commercial level growing operations using illegally and unsafely siphoned electricity supplies. The police are, rightly, more concerned with things that are either further up the chain of criminality or present a genuine threat to safety. The crime in OP is neither.

I agree it’s entirely anti-social and sympathise with OP. But this “crime” is exactly the same level as a stereo being played too loud, someone mowing their lawn at 7am on a Sunday and the lad tinkering and revving his hot hatch car at 9pm on a school night.

Plus, as is the nature of these things, people smoking in small gardens and balconies in close proximity to their neighbours and causing upset will happen more often than not in lower socioeconomic areas where the police already have more than enough to concern them without getting involved in this. Leafy suburbia has less smokers and those that do have big enough gardens that it won’t upset the neighbours.

I agree it’s entirely anti-social and sympathise with OP. But this “crime” is exactly the same level as a stereo being played too loud, someone mowing their lawn at 7am on a Sunday and the lad tinkering and revving his hot hatch car at 9pm on a school night.

Why do you put crime in inverted commas? Mowing your lawn at 7 am in not against the law. Smoking weed is against the law. So while you may think their annoyance level is the same, they aren't the same legally.

It cannot be that hard to work out which the flat is, just go round and ask them to pack it in. If you explain there is a baby in the room ‘most’ people would take that in to consideration.

@shatnerswig
Cannabis possession and consumption is illegal but after 45 years of prohibition we realise that prosecution is a waste of resources. In that time consumption has sky rocketed. So clearly not getting rid of the problem.

It may depend on whether the dope smoker is just a user. If there is any suggestion he is growing, dealing or might have any other class of drugs on the premises, the police will be round there like a shot.

Otherwise, the suggestion about reporting noise nuisance to the Council is a good one.

Police raid houses becuase they have been tipped off and watching them for some time and have very good reason to believe they are dealing not becuase a neighbour has complained about the smell of someone smoking a spliff or two

Police won’t do anything they have more important issues to deal

And the poster who said my garden my rules is wrong possession of cannabis is illegal no matter where you are in possession if you are in the uk

Maybe have a polite word with him just mentioning the smell overbearing

Shatners, I’m not saying it’s not a crime, it is, but in terms of the police being bothered they will categorise it the same as the other examples i gave. All of which if repeated, would be considered a “crime” and punishable by an ASBO.

believe it or not, mowing your lawn on a weekday before 7 or a weekend before 9 is a breach of the environment protection regulations in respect of residential noise. You can phone your police about this, but they’ll refer you to the council. I think they would view this incident the same way, it’s an environmental health issue more than it is a criminal act as far as they are concerned these days.