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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Buckle up - it's another CF neighbour thread!

244 replies

grincheux · 25/04/2019 22:00

I'm in the UK. My lovely 70-something parents have a home on a quiet leafy cul-de-sac in a seaside town mostly inhabited by, well, other 70-somethings. They've lived abroad for many many years (away with the Army then settled there) ad have decided to start spending more time in the UK, living in their house whilst here and then eventually coming back permanently. At the moment they're still kind of 50-50 between places. I also rented the house from them for years before they decided to start increasing the amount of time they spent over here, so it was very much my home as well. Though I live up the road now, I still check on my parents house a couple of times a week, take the post in, say hello to the neighbours, that sort of thing.

Last year their next door neighbour (the hermit-y one who we never saw) passed away. The two-bed bungalow next door was sold to a couple from out of town who give the Wormwoods from Matilda a run for their money - and have two teenagers. They have since added a huge extension with windows overlooking my parents' garden - but that's probably the least of our worries at the moment from what my nice neighbours on the other side told me this evening. MNers, please advise...

  1. The cul-de-sac has a turning circle at the end. They have adopted this as their own private car park, meaning that cars, deliveries and ambulances can't turn around. They've been spoken to numerous times about it by the neighbours and continue to do it, despite the fact that every house on the street has a three-car driveway and there is ample roadside parking.
  1. They have knocked the fence down between theirs and my parents' front garden and piled it up on my parents' front lawn. Their dog now runs through the hedge and uses my parents' front garden as a toilet. also I may have trod in poo earlier and emotions escalated quickly
  1. My parents have an apple tree in the front garden which the wife has been quite vocal about letting herself in and helping herself to "for her horses" once it's ready. My mum asked her not to. Nice NDN told her not to. She's still been seen in the garden casing the tree.
  1. They had a party a few weeks ago and asked nice NDNs if their friends could park their cars on my parents' driveway. There is ample roadside parking, it's a cul-de-sac with no double yellows. Nice NDNs laughed and thought she was joking... Turns out Mrs Wormwood was serious. Nice NDN said "no, you can't park on their drive, that's someone's house!". Mrs Wormwood's response was "yeah but they're not there. Can we use your driveway instead then?"
  1. They don't have planning permission for the extension they've built which has turned a two-bed bungalow into a four-bed house with a yoga studio yes yes I know, please stay with me, I promise this is all real and new windows which overlook my parents' garden and directly into the master bedroom. We called the council when it was first put up but nothing was done about it.

I don't think IABU to think they can't carry on like this... but WWYD?!

OP posts:
SchadenfreudePersonified · 26/04/2019 15:57

mammaries

Grin Grin Grin

makingmammaries · 26/04/2019 15:58

Talking of dogs. Your parents probably don’t want a kangal dog, but they are the solution to everything.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 26/04/2019 16:06

These are pretty impressive if you enjoy your privacy, too

www.dog-breeds-expert.com/Caucasian-Shepherd-Dog.html

I've met one. She was a half-grown puppy and bloody enormous - and much more intimidating than my daughter's (taller, but sloppier) great dane.

Itwouldtakemuchmorethanthis · 26/04/2019 16:07

Apples are not on trees in April in the uk

grincheux · 26/04/2019 16:13

You're right PP, which makes the fact that they regularly let themselves in to inspect the tree even more strange.

OP posts:
Bubblysqueak · 26/04/2019 16:23

I'm rudely place marking as I can't wait to find out cf reaction. It's awful really though the extent you have to go to to stop people stealing from you and using your garden as their own carpark and dog toilet!

TheTrollFairy · 26/04/2019 16:50

Please tell me this shouting tree is based in the south. I really want to go visit it!

I would be happy to house sit for your parents and their shouting tree if you need volunteers Grin

grincheux · 26/04/2019 17:00

Operation WormwoodNot is now underway. The squawk box and sprinkler are on order, along with what I have assessed to be a very convincing rubber adder, because if being squirted and screamed at aren't deterrent enough then the notion of a venomous snake chilling out under the tree might be the acid test.

OP posts:
GoJetterGirl · 26/04/2019 18:14

Can anyone recommend an indoor camera/monitor which doesn't rely on wifi and saves to internal storage?

My husband sourced a brilliant one last week, I’ll geg him to send me a link when he arrives home from work

GoJetterGirl · 26/04/2019 18:15

Get*

grincheux · 26/04/2019 18:30

That'd be brilliant @GoJetterGirl, thank you!

OP posts:
NotSoThinLizzy · 26/04/2019 18:51

Place maeking this too it's made my night 😂

OVAgroundWOMBlingfree · 26/04/2019 19:10

Oh gosh where did you get the squawk box from? We have someone who steals our soft fruit in the summer and I would love to scare the shit out of them.

Abbazed · 26/04/2019 19:44

Replace fence on your side solicitors letter 're cease and desist. Put up cctv with sound. Photo the extension and write to council. You need pp for two storey extensions.councils are not on this.

Abbazed · 26/04/2019 19:46

Indoor ca mera on Amazon only 36

SofiaAmes · 26/04/2019 20:04

We use Halloween noise makers to frighten off the crows...would probably work for CF neighbors: Sound Activated Skull (sorry I don't have a UK link, but I'm sure you can find them on ebay)

Cheby · 26/04/2019 20:27

Good luck op!
(Placemarking? Me? Surely not 😂)

1CantPickAName · 26/04/2019 20:57

.

Nairobiblue · 26/04/2019 21:06

I bought this to see what was going on outside on our roof (possible squirrel swingers party or rats? Turned out to be pigeons, who knew they were so noisy!!!) and it's waterproof and records to the SD card. You could have it set up in the tree so it catches them in the act. The memory will be determined by the size of SD card you buy.

www.amazon.co.uk/Accfly-Wildlife-Waterproof-Surveillance-Hunting/dp/B07KQ4XDJQ/ref=sr_1_17?s=gateway&keywords=security+camera+with+motion+sensor+waterproof&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1556308776&sr=8-17

The problem with indoor ones is that they won't pick up on motion outside as the sensor will always hit the window glass. If you get one that records all the time, you may run out of memory.

I'm loving this thread and can't wait to see what happens

BobBobBobbingAlong · 26/04/2019 21:09

Is the yoga room for running a business? That's worth reporting.

MrsFrankCastle · 26/04/2019 21:09

.

grincheux · 26/04/2019 21:10

@NairobiBlue that looks PERFECT! Thank you.

Tonight DP and I are drafting a theoretical plan of action for disarming the tree in the event that we need to get down the path. There will be technical drawings.

The adder has been dispatched.

Standby.

OP posts:
TheClaifeCrier · 26/04/2019 21:23

.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 26/04/2019 21:54

If you have an apple tree and a serpent, surely you need one that will try to lure them into ssssssssin . . . Could you set up something so that it talks to them and urges them to take an apple?

I know they don't seem to need any urging, but . . .

Ladysap · 26/04/2019 22:23

Go OP!!

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