To have reported my neighbour?

[HopeYouStepOnALego]

Neighbour 4 doors down had a smelly bonfire yesterday - at 12:45pm! It was a lovely day where I am so windows all open and a line full of washing out. Local council guidance is no bonfires during lockdown and as this wasn't this neighbour's first bonfire in the past few weeks (they've had at least 3) so I used the council link to report a nuisance.

Today I got an email from the council to say they are going to write to the neighbour to request they don't have any more bonfires during the lockdown period. All good I thought, then today the bloody neighbour lights it again!!! Very breezy today so you can just imagine the smell! I have washing out again so I'm fuming! It's supposed to be a nice week in the South East of England and if the council post the letter out it could be days before it's received....grrr!

Why are some people so damned inconsiderate? If you're going to break the lockdown rules at least have the decency to wait until the evening, not light up midday or early afternoon FFS!

@randomguy12, maybe the neighbour didn't know they weren't permitted, but they will now! Regardless of whether they knew, how inconsiderate and anti-social is it to light a bonfire at midday, especially when the weather is nice albeit a bit breezy. They're throwing freshly cut branches/greenery on the fire which hasn't even been allowed to dry out, so causing extensive smoke and smell that's billowing across all the neighbouring properties. If you're going to do it, save it until later in the evening when people will more likely have their windows shut/washing in/not out enjoying their outdoor space. It's bad enough being on lockdown without having to seal yourself in your house with no fresh air because of the pungent smell.

I think people here are having them late at night - sure I smelled one at about midnight the other day. I think that's OK tbh, there are big gardens round here and the tip is shut.

@HopeYouStepOnALego you could have talked to them first. If you were intimidated, as you previously stated, you could have wrote a letter and put it through their letterbox

You were in the right OP. Your neighbours needed to have looked at the guidance on bonfires before lighting theirs. I hope to council person sets them right on this and they stop.

Our garden is on two levels, and the top part is covered in piles of prunings, hedge clippings and weeds.

We'll have to make that many trips to the tip when it reopens that we'd probably cause less pollution by burning the damn stuff.

Any nuisance has to be a regular thing not a one off - or a couple of times to get rid of rubbish.

I wouldn't bother knocking. They know they're not supposed to do it and dont care about making their neighbours afternoon unpleasant on a lovely day.
Yanbu.

It is also only guidance not to remove greenery where birds are nesting at this time of year.

Actually is against the law. A household near me were prosecuted under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 when the decided to completely destroy a small wooded area at the bottom of their garden. They’d had two companies around to quote for the work who had refused to do the work before the end of summer because of the law so they got some randoms in to do it... neighbours called the police and one of the professional gardeners had already advised the wildlife officer that he thought they were going to go ahead regardless and was able to provide photos of the nests in situ. Unfortunately the damage was done but I understand they were hit with a pretty hefty fine.

Regarding trees and nesting

www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q19.htm

Thank you for the link, I was trying to find something similar the other day when the idiots down the road were destroying everything green in sight. All I have is a photo of their unmarked van and trailer which isn't much use.