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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Neighbour

63 replies

Column · 05/08/2018 22:12

Hi, this is a difficult one for me to write, but I'm asking for help out of desperation.

The man next door is driving me absolutely mad. He is about 6o years old and was already living there when I moved in. The best way I can describe him is that he is a hoarder/loner. I also think he may have mental health problems.

The house was scruffy when I first moved here but not bad enough to put me off buying. The garden was the same, with bits of old furniture laying around. However 20 years down the line the house is falling down around him and the garden is a jungle. The house is mainly covered by foliage from trees and shrubs and is barely visible now.

He's always been friendly enough over the years but tends very much to keep himself to himself. He'll say hello if he really has to but will quickly dart off to avoid any further conversation. He doesn't speak to any other neighbours at all.

We both have detached properties (luckily). What has been happening though over the past couple of years is that I've noticed that every single day, starting about 5.30 am right throughout the day until gone midnight he is pouring bucket after bucket of liquid, (I assume it's water but don't really know), down his outside drain at the side of his property. (I don't know if he has any other outside drains, it's impossible to see). He must throw it down with such force as the noise is so loud.

The reason this is getting to me is the fact that this drain is located right next to my bedroom window (bungalow). I am not well at the moment and have been spending a lot of time in bed recently which is another reason I am getting annoyed. Yesterday, I decided to count how many times he poured liquid down the drain. In the space of two hours and 20 minutes he poured over 100 buckets down it. This literally goes on all day long with only maybe, a couple of hours break.

A few times I have heard him over the years trying to unblock the main sewer pipe with rods or something. I'm starting to now wonder if he has a problem with his plumbing indoors. I have noticed a bad intermittent smell coming from his property over the years. I might be wrong but it smells like manure. However, since this really hot weather the smell has increased and I'm now wondering if he has a working toilet. Whenever I've sat out in my back garden over the last few weeks the smell has at times been so strong and so unpleasant I've nearly vomited and had to go indoors to escape it.

What can I do? I don't want to cause this man any more problems than he already has but the smell and the non-stop noise with his drain are making me more ill than I already am. Who can I report this to, if anyone? Thank you.

OP posts:
ScoobyGangMember · 05/08/2018 23:50

Flushing the toilet/waste products down the drain wouldn't require that many buckets, surely?

Hawkmoth · 05/08/2018 23:51

FIRE hazard of hoarding sorry.

ImAIdoot · 05/08/2018 23:56

Something's wrong, report the smell, say if you think it's making you ill and mention "what soinds like" the sound of buckets being emptied down the drain for hours.

BitOutOfPractice · 05/08/2018 23:57

Goodness me op I’m not sure what he’s doing but YANBU. That sounds unbearable

LighthouseSouth · 06/08/2018 00:00

OP just to add

say you are not sure what is in the buckets because of the smell. If you say "buckets of water" you aren't sure anyway, but also I think whoever comes round will do it quicker if you say you don't know what is being poured down there.

Maelstrop · 06/08/2018 00:00

Council, all the way.

Notevilstepmother · 06/08/2018 00:01

Environmental health, mention the hoarding and the plumbing, and that they might need to speak to adult services.

Benandhollysmum · 06/08/2018 00:38

Obviously the man needs help, contact the council that you are worried about your elderly neighbour, explain what’s going on.. even if he owns his own home he’s entitled to help and social work might help get his plumbing sorted

thegreatbeyond · 06/08/2018 01:25

It's the blood from his victims, surely?

BedtimeTea · 06/08/2018 02:08

I would report this, the poor man needs some sort of help, and you do not need to be exposed to what could be raw sewage, and possible health problems. Don't want to get him in any trouble, but it sounds like he may need someone to help sort his pipes out.

LighthouseSouth · 08/08/2018 20:17

OP I was wondering how you got on with this, hope something has been done.

Benandhollysmum · 08/08/2018 21:21

YEah did you get help?
Agree with other poster raw sewage can cause health problems and cholera ect not to mention flies and other nasties. have to think of yourself first esp if you have kids

LighthouseSouth · 08/08/2018 22:02

I was also thinking if he's tipping so much into the outside drain, his kitchen drains probably aren't working either.

Column · 09/08/2018 16:50

Hi, just a quick update. I phoned Environmental Health on Monday morning. I've just had a phone call back from the colleague of the officer I spoke to on Monday.

Apparently, according to the Environmental Health officer a Notice was served on this man about 2 weeks ago regarding the state of his property. The env. health off. asked me if the man next door was now cleaning up the outside of his property. What the hell, how am I supposed to know what the man next door is doing? I informed him that I was unaware of any notice having been served but this was not the problem I had reported on Monday.

I again repeated what I had told his colleague on Monday morning when I phoned. He then asked me what the liquid was that was being poured. I informed him that I did not know. He then asked me if the neighbour was pouring it down the drain in the street! I said no, he's pouring it down the gulley/drain at the side of his property close to my own property. He stated that as he's pouring it down a drain on his own property there's nothing Environmental Health can do. I stated that I did not believe my neighbour had any working plumbing including toilet in his home and was told it wasn't Environmental Health's problem.

Great! First thing tomorrow morning I'll be ringing the Water Board.

OP posts:
ApolloandDaphne · 09/08/2018 16:58

Sounds grim. Hopefully the Water Board will be more helpful. I rather wonder if he has a water leak which he can only keep on top of by filling up vessels which he has to dispose of outside.

LighthouseSouth · 09/08/2018 17:01

oh dear
I wonder if it's council cuts that mean EH don't deal with this sort of thing any more?

hopefully the Water Board will care more because he could be damaging pipework - the drain may be on his property but obviously will link to others and goodness knows what fatberg or chemicalberg he is creating down there.

hope you have more luck with them OP and that you are recovering generally. Flowers

muddlingalong42 · 09/08/2018 17:01

Its a safeguarding issue even though he’s an adult. If you report it to the adult social services or safeguarding team at the council (anonymously) they should act on it.

LighthouseSouth · 09/08/2018 17:02

also, I wonder why he was served notice, if not for the smell?

ApolloandDaphne · 09/08/2018 17:02

I also have to add that people with MH/addiction problems can live in terrible conditions. As a social worker i was once in a house which had foul smelling garbage piled up feet high and a water leak which meant the floor had about 3 inches of water all over amongst other things. A mother and child were living in those conditions and had been for a long time. Thankfully it was a council house and they were able to force entry eventually and the child was taken to safety.

muddlingalong42 · 09/08/2018 17:03

Sorry just seen your update. EH probably won’t do anything as it’s a private residence. Although if the officer saw hoarding he has a duty to report it - but may not!

BitOutOfPractice · 09/08/2018 17:05

Oh that's frustrating.

From memory I think it is a requirement of Building Regulations Approved Document H that every residence must have a working mains drainage WC. Is it worth quoting that to them?

gingeristhenewblack43 · 09/08/2018 17:09

Self neglect, and hoarding comes under this category is a safeguarding concern, especially when it does / or has the potential to affect others in the community. Everyone is entitled to make a life style choice about the way they live but it should not impact on others. I would contact your local authority safeguarding team and detail your concerns and the impact it's having on your quality of life. He may not engage with them as you've previously said he will not let meter readers in etc but he will be on their radar. You may need to make repeated calls stating the negative impact his hoarding and drain flushing behaviour is having on you.

Column · 09/08/2018 17:14

I feel now that I've hit a brick wall with Environmental Health. They made it quite clear they were not going to get involved so I think any further contact with them will be futile.

OP posts:
ApolloandDaphne · 09/08/2018 17:20

Why don't you report it as a possible water leak? Tell the water board you can hear a lot of water pouring from the house next door and are worried about your neighbour/neighbours house.

gingeristhenewblack43 · 09/08/2018 17:28

As I said before, your best port of call is the local council's safeguarding team. They will engage with EH and the water company in relation to this issue.