Neighbour’s ‘booby traps’ and MH

[scaredneighbour]

Not an AIBU, posting here for traffic as I’ve posted briefly about it before in chat under my main name but it got no responses. I’ve never experienced anything like this and am incredibly concerned for my neighbour’s mental state and well-being. I need some advice on what to do next and who to contact. Enviromental health are already involved but I haven’t shown them the ‘booby trap’ yet.

They are an older couple who don’t work or rarely ever leave the house, roughly aged 60-70. I know that they are alcoholics from my neighbour the other side who mentioned they make their own wine and I have seen them stood out in the street with wine glasses, sat out on the front with beers etc during the day on weekdays. Their glass bin is always absolutely full to the brim of wine and beer bottles on collection day. How much they drink is none of my business but I’m just worried for them. They have been aggressive and hostile towards me on a few occasions. Banging on my door and slurring words about ridiculous complaints, e.g. asking me to move my car from outside my own house on a public road because it’s ‘obstructing their view’, about 3yo DD playing quietly in the back garden during day time etc. I’ve only smiled and said hello a few times in passing in the whole 3 years I’ve lived here so there’s nothing to incite their behaviour towards me. I try my best to avoid them as they do terrify me a bit and seem very unpredictable.

They are very paranoid and scared of something or someone. They never have any visitors (I work from home so am in most of the time) so don’t have support, even at Christmas I’ve never seen anyone come near their house. They have 3 cameras on the front of their house, 3 on the back and one pointing down the shared driveway down the back of the terrace. They have multiple security lights that could light a whole football pitch. We live in a nice quiet area and never get any trouble. Most recently though they have added as me and family can only describe as make shift booby traps. I was confused about the glass panels they’ve recently added but then I realised they’ve put them up to hide the main part of the booby trap from me and the council. They were in the front garden when EH turned up about their dog noise so they knew what was going on. They installed the glass panels the day after EH visited. I’ll let the photos explain as I really can’t! Do I contact the police or some sort of charity for older people? I’m currently 6 months pregnant and I do kind of fear for my own safety if they are so paranoid. DH mentioned that if they have all of that security and are that fixated then they could have weapons in the house, even maybe a gun. I honestly don’t know what to do! My house is rented so should I at the very least tell my landlord? The blurry pic shows the booby trap which is a block of wood extended out of the fence with nails sticking directly up outwards so if someone were to put their hand on it getting over the wall it would cut them. It’s shoddy quality as I’ve zoomed in to respect their privacy. As you can tell from the pics they’ve also put huge rocks on top of my wall for some reason

I used to live next door to a family whose house lit up like a christmas tree whenever anyone went past & had cameras covering every inch of their boundary & beyond. They were prolific drug dealers & the "security" was to give them warning in case of police raids or rival dealers attacking them. To anyone who was an outsider you would have thought they were an ordinary family, parents in their 60's with a son living at home, son went out frequently, only visitors were family, older son, wife & grandchildren. Police attended frequently but never managed to catch them until one night when they raided them in the middle of the night & found thousands of pounds worth of drugs & large amounts of cash in the house. They were convicted & the report in the local paper said that the police acted on anonymous information from Crimestoppers. Things aren't always as they look & what may seem to be innocent security measures can often be for other purposes.

Take the photos down to the local police station and talk to someone face to face.

Exaon what you have here because your dh is right. They're clearly paranoid and will most certainly have some sort of 'defence' in the house also.

Well yes, people who have committed heinous crimes tend to have a lot of security because they get abused and harassed by the media, victims family/friends, teenagers who know about it etc. It’s also common for drug dealers/cultivators to have a lot of security too. Are you sure wine isn’t the only thing they’re making or doing in that house? It’s not unheard of for people over the age of 50 to be involved in illegal activities.

Just slight escalation....
Get a grip!

make your garden look like a fecking Travis Perkins depot with random contraptions.

Except the random contraption is in their garden, not hers, and she can't see it unless she hangs out of the bedroom window. And even then it's not clear unless she uses zoom on her camera. Plus they can put what they like in their garden, you don't have any right to a beautiful garden next door to you.

All the op can see is the few totally normal cat spikes on their fence.

As people have said, she can put her own fence up inside the wall so she can't see it.

OP I'm sorry but I think you're letting your imagination get the better of you, perhaps it is your hormones.

They may have been burgled / dislike cats etc. Maybe they are a bit mad. However, you don't have a cat so you don't need to worry.

They don't sound the most reasonable of people so I would just avoid.

On the subject of ruining your view I would work on the bit you can control at this stage, give your lawn a nice trim, scrub the wall and perhaps put a lovely pot or plant that will flower and bring some happiness.
Generally I think worry about the things in your control.

My house has razor wire round one side and glass on the other (was like that when we moved in).

I thought you could be prosecuted if someone injured themselves on stuff like that.

It seems to me that they are worried about burglars. It was commonplace until a couple of decades ago (when people became fixated on burglars' health and wellbeing) to put pieces of broken glass along the top of a wall. This would seem to be a modern variant.

However, it does look more like anti-pigeon spikes to me but I could be wrong. These don't hurt the pigeons as they are flexible - they just stop them from roosting there.

I think your reaction is way over the top. If they are 'have anxiety' (like so many people on here) about burglars leave them be. The issue of the dog barking is a separate one entirely.

Definitely a meth lab.

The 'odd' neighbour database!

My neighbour's a contender for that. In the summer he likes to scream/sing the chorus to Bon Jovi's Final Countdown out of his bedroom window. Sometimes then moving on to using his body as a percussion instrument. He also put a recording device in his bedroom window pointed directly at my back door. I did call 101 about that, and he removed it.

When I read "booby trap" in the title I thought OP meant something like a concealed pit with snakes and sharpened stakes in it.

You sound really paranoid yourself & you seem to know (or think you know) far too much of their business. Just get on with your own life and ignore them!

I thought you could be prosecuted if someone injured themselves on stuff like that.

Yes, but not until that happens. Some people think the deterrent is more important.

They're clearly paranoid and will most certainly have some sort of 'defence' in the house also.

Halloween hysteria.

As long as your family or innocent visitors to their property aren't likely to get hurt, I'd leave them to themselves with their paranoia

I don't think it's the neighbours who are being paranoid, to be honest.

I also shouldn’t have to put up with such an unsightly view from my house

😂🤣😂 Since you are only renting, what’s stopping you from moving?

DH mentioned that if they have all of that security and are that fixated then they could have weapons in the house, even maybe a gun.

Never 😱😱😱 Of course they have weapons in the house. Their kitchen knives for starters. And more people die due to knife crime than a gun one in this country.

Blooming heck. The OP is getting one hell of a hard time on here. If they were indeed paranoid and in need of help for their mental health then I would expect a bit more sympathy for them and not just to be ridiculed.

"Banging on my door and slurring words about ridiculous complaints, e.g. asking me to move my car from outside my own house on a public road because it’s ‘obstructing their view’, about 3yo DD playing quietly in the back garden during day time etc."
I find it interesting that only one poster has picked up on the above. Do the rest of you posters think this behaviour is normal?

OP, I vaguely remember your other post - especially the bit about the car blocking their view. Everyone has just jumped on the part about the spikes on the fencing. I must admit it didn't help when you referred to the huge rocks and there are just a couple that I don't think most, in their wildest imagination, would consider to be huge.

Asking you to move your car and complaining about your 3 year old playing quietly combined with all the security measures does sound a bit batshit to me. I probably wouldn't want to live next door to them so would look to moving rather than get worked up about it.

I wouldn't worry about the view preventing your neighbour from selling. That's their problem. Don't worry about cats as you don't have one and haven't seen any cats around.

If I had to stay there for now I would attach trellis to the top of your wall, clean up your wall, paint it and the trellis and plant climbing roses or clematis up it to hide they eyesore and beautify your garden.

However, IF the security cameras pick you up in your garden and invade your privacy then I would report them.

Plus the 'I know they're alcoholics' comment is a bit mean. They're a retired couple so if they want to enjoy a beer or glass of wine in their own garden on a 'weekday', fair play to them. The recycle bin being 'full to the brim on collection day' is very easy if they split a bottle of wine each day and have 1 beer on a night. It's hardly downing a litre of vodka territory.

You are way too invested in this.

You rent the house - move!

Please fellow posters please stop using the word 'paranoid' like it's an insult. IF the OP was suffering with paranoia, then telling her she's paranoid isn't exactly helpful. Paranoia is a symptom of mental illness

Sorry posted accidentally.

We are supposed to be becoming more aware of mental illness and organisations and people are working hard to remove the stigma of mental illness. Looks like there is a long way to go to gain people's understanding and support judging by the comments on this thread about paranoia.

But paranoid is what they are.

DH mentioned that if they have all of that security and are that fixated then they could have weapons in the house, even maybe a gun

PMSL

The OP is being paranoid.

OP, you need to seek help. Talk to your GP.

You don't sound as though you're coping with completely unremarkable things at all well.

Have you had, or do you have, issues with your MH?

You sound ever so slightly unhinged OP. Unless you're planning to vault over the wall then the 'booby trap' shouldn't be a bother to you. Your comment about the view is just laughable! Their two panes of frosted glass are no more unsightly than your filthy wall and unkempt garden. I think you need to find yourself a new hobby other than neighbour-watch.