Neighbours having massive firework display

[Cole24]

AIBU to think that my neighbours should have at least given us a heads up that they were putting on a massive firework display?

We live in a small village with one housing estate which is quite densely populated, but it's a very quiet area. We recently had new neighbours move into the house next door (it's a semi-detached property) and we haven't seen or spoken to them yet.

Tonight they are having a very long and noisy firework display, it's been going on for at least 45 minutes and it's been constant the entire time. As I mentioned the property is semi-detached and the gardens are very small, it doesn't seem safe to have a firework display so close to the house, as a result it's very close to our house too.

We have a 5 month old baby who's been woken by them and a young cat who's absolutely terrified. Our area is very much a pet friendly place with most of the neighbours owning cats or dogs and so fireworks aren't popular around here.

Since they're right next door in such close quarters, with the fireworks being unreasonably close to our house, AIBU to think that they could have let us know by knocking the door or dropping a note in?

If you read this far then thank you!

Manners have nothing to do with alerting neighbours to your display.

I beg to differ. Giving a heads up so neighbours have the chance to make contingencies, understand that it will last x hours, is everything to do with manners. Everything. You live with your neighbours. You do not live in a separate vacuum of space and time.

My neighbours cut down a beautiful old lime tree that was providing privacy from the overlooking estate. They politely informed me that they were completely unnecessarily going to cut in down, they inform me of the day, the time and even offered me some branches to add to my bedding if I wanted.

Now they were going to cut it down anyway regardless. But I appreciated them telling me. it meant I didn't just turn up after work and see a massive empty space and feel upset. As it was they allowed me to go into their garden and have a goodbye hug. Yes, ridiculous but I appreciated it.

I totally respect them for their politeness and respect.

Should have bolded first quote

I didn't realise that there was a National cutting tree down day. That was a nice thing the neighbour did because they were doing something unexpected.

Knocking on doors to let neighbours know you are having fireworks on bonfire night makes no sense. If a neighbour knocked on my door to tell me this, I would be questioning who was doing the fireworks. I wouldn't be comfortable with someone warning me about something I should be expecting anyway.
The only time neighbours should be knocking on the door is to say having some fireworks, pop in.

It's bonfire night.an important part of British heritage . Yabvu to not expect it. A normal standard box of fireworks does take that sort of time to get through.

I didn't realise that there was a National cutting tree down day

It's true that they are not exactly equivalent so point taken, however the principle of courtesy in respects of BFN still stands as it is no longer a given that people will do a private fireworks display in their garden.
It's not like in the 70s and 80s when you and the neighbour and about 10 others on the same street would be jammed into a small front garden and stood at a barely safe distance from the works and a barely toddling child woukd be waving around a red hot sparkler. Then it was a given. So much so, I remember the firework safety ads in the 80s.

That is not so now, however, (due precisely to increasing concerns around safety and reponsibility) so yes, a polite heads up would have been decent. Especially if you are new to the place.

I think if you are having a few sparklers and a 5 minutes of fireworks then probably overkill to mention it to the neighbours. 45 minutes of fireworks - then yeah, I''d probably pop round to the neighbours to mention it. Especially if a lot of people have dogs and cats in the area.

It was bonfire night.

The fireworks are only “unreasonably close” in your opinion. Assuming your house didn’t burn down I think we can actually assume they were perfectly safe.

My next door (semi detached) neighbours have a child who I guess is nearly one as it was a new baby when I moved in. It cries and wakes me every single night. I don’t complain as it’s a semi detached house so they can do what they want in theirs as long as it’s legal and I can do what I want in mine.

By nature of being in such close proximity to others certain things we do impact on each other. If I wanted to live away from other people I need to wok harder or win the lottery.

Assuming your house didn’t burn down I think we can actually assume they were perfectly safe.

By that logic car travel must be perfectly safe too. I've never been killed or injured in an accident.

Did anyone else see that news story about the poor horse that became horribly impaled on a fence after being terrified by fireworks and was only found the following morning? Or the story about the dog so frightened that it died of a heart attack?

Never mind eh, letting off fireworks is only a bit of fun.

Yes, I remember the adverts as well.
You can watch fireworks that are set off in your garden or wherever from behind the window. It doesn't mean everyone has to be out. Just someone to light and another adult.

At any point, a firework can cause injury regardless of how it is organised. If organised events are fully safe then there would never have been any injuries because one has for whatever reason gone the wrong way.

People tend to take risks based on how they want to. Some people decide to take the risk and go to organised events. Others decide to let their children watch from behind the window. Some arrange private things, and people are still stood at the same distance as an organised one.

Everything comes with a risk. Some you can take precautions to protect yourself from risk. But there's still always that chance.

Although I love fireworks. I hate Sparklers. I will not touch them. My children weren't allowed to touch them when I still had a say, not even with another person holding it with them. Yet sparklers are more widely accepted.
At least with a firework, you have a bit of a chance to get away. You can see/hear it coming. A sparkler, even with a bucket of cold water near by there is still a huge risk of a child grabbing the hot end. I will never forget the screams from one of my dc's when they accidentally put their hand on the hot hob. Why would anyone let a sparkler near their kids I have no idea. Kids are so damn quick, I was stood right there and nothing I could do to stop it.

As sad as it is when there are deaths. The fireworks themselves weren't the cause. It was the noise. At any moment a noise can startle anyone or anything.
Even in the countryside, it's not always peacefully quiet. Loud noises can happen in the middle of the night. And sometimes, the noise can travel further distances.
Just look at Glastonbury. Because there is nothing to really block the sound, seeing as it's outdoors, people from miles around can hear the noise. Especially at night.

YABU because it was bonfire night and I thought everyone in the UK expected to hear fireworks on November 5th unless you live in a detached property in the middle of nowhere.

Things on our local FB today:-

Smashed house window from massive rocket.
Smashed greenhouse window from rocket.
Horse with severe cuts to eye following panic over noise.
Dog on lead in garden (with owner) panicking, breaking lead and running away.

As soon as your “fun” doesn’t give others the chance to opt out, then there’s a problem.

yanbu, we had fireworks and informed neighbours

I would be SO pissed off and I would also be worried people would think it was our house.

Sadly fireworks are available for the general public to buy still (although yay Sainsbury’s!) but there is a big difference between 5min display and a 45 minute barrage.

You have a baby and are semi-detached to them. I'm sure that on many of the other 364 nights of the year they'll be fed up with you.

OK, I love fireworks. However

• fireworks are a 20C thing and were discontinued after both world wars. Guy Fawkes Night (a very Protestant thing) was bonfires and effigies. so it's not a long term tradition
• they've become more frequent - so Diwali Halloween, onto NY and beyond and wedding celebrations etc
• it's not just Nov 5th - I can guarantee people who couldn't do the actual day will be doing Friday and Saturday
• they go on longer than they should but can't be policed
• warning neighbours is fine and should be done. However the noise carries over a large distance and you can't warn everyone.
• private fireworks on one day alone cost the NHS £5m with 30000 calls, 2000 A&E visits and 200 hospital admissions (not including surgery and specialist burns treatment.
• fireworks do poison the air

I don't see why they shouldn't be limited to public or notifiable displays.

I don't see why they shouldn't be limited to public or notifiable displays.

Yesterday I sat with my DM in lounge of her care home while a small firework display was laid on outside in the garden by the entertainment staff. It was very carefully done and gave the residents great joy.

Well managed private fireworks parties can be lovely. For many people this is the only way they would be able to enjoy them.

Fireworks on November 5th, to be expected. YABU.

Our new neighbours had a garden display - one of the rockets hit my son's bedroom window next to where he was watching it!

I have no idea why people are allowed to do this at home - there are plenty of organised displays to go to.

A house burnt down in Pudsey last night, luckily no-one was harmed, it was unoccupied at the time but I know the builder who was doing it up.

Apparently started by a lit firework landing on the building and the fire wasn't noticed until it had really caught hold.

Sorry, not really related to the noise aspect, but fireworks can be dangerous if not policed properly.

I think there's valid arguments against them full stop but, OP, yours aren't. You're being precious and unfair.
Quote good reasons. Not 45 mins of noise for you on bonfire night

Well managed private fireworks parties can be lovely.

I think few would disagree - the problem is that many private firework displays are not managed at all, let alone well-managed. In fact, they're often not even 'displays' - they're idiots setting them off at all times, even in daylight, just for the hell of it.

A licensing system would improve the situation. Businesses, such as the care home mentioned in the post I've quoted, could apply for a licence in which they set out the scope of the display, safety arrangements and any plans to notify neighbours of the display.

Of course, people would still get hold of unlicensed fireworks as they get hold of other illegal/unlicensed items now, but it would make it much more difficult, and easier to prosecute people.

Yes, it's tough on those people who enjoy a few very modest fireworks at home, in a responsible way, and on one night only - but it's far from the only situation in which the behaviour of the irresponsible spoils things for others, and we have to set the loss of enjoyment against the benefits to wildlife, pets and the emergency services; and the removal of nuisance to other people.

I would be so pissed off!!! They must have seen you have a small baby, so yes some consideration is owed to you. 45 minutes is totally over the top!

I was a massive advocate of home fireworks before having my baby but now I find them totally unnecessary! Luckily my 9 month old slept through them last night but was cursing in my head 'just fuck off with your fucking fireworks!'

YANBU to be upset. But you have to be realistic.

I don't use fireworks anymore but when I did it never occurred to me to tell my neighbours. It's bonfire night, the world and their wife are at it.

You will know what to expect next year.. maybe find a pet friendly hotel and decamp there for a night. I know it's not ideal but the alternative is to suck it up.

Irritating if you don’t like fireworks although most babies sleep through noise.
They are however your neighbors so you might want to give them a break, after all your cat might poo in their garden.