Is this neighbourly act acceptable?

[oldmum2020]

I have a big dilemma and I need some of your opinions. We have been close friends with our neighbours for the last 15 years, I have wine o'clock every Friday afternoon with Sue and go away every year for a girly holiday. They have right of access through our drive and last Saturday, they employed 2 people to pressure wash it. Problem is that they washed all the crap off their drive onto ours, our house and garden. My windows and car needed washing, my block paving was covered in dirty greasy sludge and my front garden has a 3 inch layer of sand all over it. Needless to say we weren't happy and spent 3 hours cleaning up the best we could. He eventually swept our drive but shouted at me saying it was my fault for listening to his wife who was allegedly going to clean it up. Now this has obviously damaged our relationship and I dont know whether or not to end our friendship. Everyone I have spoken to says what they did was unacceptable but they seem to think its OK. They do have drains on their drive or there is a public footpath at the front which could have been used but they opted for our property. What should I do?

[SoupDragon]

@Bluntness100

Can’t imagine I’d end a friendship over some dirt. But you need to do you.

It's not over a "bit of dirt" is it?

[user1494055864]

Hire or borrow a pressure washer, and wash all the sludge back onto their drive
My dh recently washed our drive, and the sludge went on our neighbours grass verge, and I was absolutely mortified when I saw it, and got him to go and rinse it off.

[Bluntness100]

It's not over a "bit of dirt" is it?

Well yeah that’s exactly what it is.

[heartsonacake]

OP, you still haven’t answered why you saw it happen, let it happen, and then decided to be angry at the neighbours and not the company afterwards rather than just speaking up earlier

[SoupDragon]

@Bluntness100

It's not over a "bit of dirt" is it?

Well yeah that’s exactly what it is.

No it isn't. It's about a lot of mess, the fact that the arsehole neighbour watched the guys spray it all over the OP's front garden and didn't say anything, didn't go and apologise for the mess and then shouted at her saying it was her fault. Or it is if you've actually read the OP's posts.

[heartsonacake]

the fact that the arsehole neighbour watched the guys spray it all over the OP's front garden and didn't say anything

SoupDragon So did OP.

[Darbs76]

I’d let it go, why not just say the people who did it should come back. They didn’t actually physically do it so easy to blame the contractors

[SoupDragon]

@heartsonacake

the fact that the arsehole neighbour watched the guys spray it all over the OP's front garden and didn't say anything

SoupDragon So did OP.

And? Wouldn't you assume they would be clearing it up at the end?

The OP hasn't done anything wrong. It's all on Arsehole Neighbour and the contractors.

[SoupDragon]

He didn't apologise and he shouted at the OP and said it was all her fault. Did she also do those things?

[oldmum2020]

@heartsonacake

In reply, we came home when they were half way through cleaning their drive. The "contractors" were not a proper company but 2 young lads stripped to the waist with a battered van - next door has a habit that he must hire cheap. I assumed (clearly incorrectly) that he would get the chaps to clear up after them so we saw no need to speak to him at the time. It was some time after they had gone that I went to move my car that we found out that he had left it like that . Having read some of the previous comments, I agree that we possible handled it badly as well but that doesn't excuse the fact that he yelled abuse at me or did that in the first place.

[Thelnebriati]

The contractors aren't permitted to spray the gunk and sand down the drains. So they used your drive and garden. It might count as fly tipping if you want to make a complaint.

[AwrightDoreenTakeAFuckinDayOff]

This isn’t the OP’s fault.

I wouldn’t expect my property to be left filthy and would assume that it would be made good before they left too.

I don’t think you handled it badly OP. I might have said something when I noticed it was left before I started cleaning though.

Either way he’d have been a gobby twat probably and you’d have had a half arsed cleaning attempt to boot.

[SingingSands]

Hi OP

I've actually been in this position and it's not just a bit of dirt like people think, it's an almighty mess. In my case it was as a result of my neighbour having their roof pressure washed and the entire back of my house was coated - my conservatory was covered, the bedroom windows, the path, garden, it looked like explosive diarrhoea!!

My advice is that you need to take this up with the contractor. I phoned up the guy who ran the company and tore an absolute strip off him until he agreed to send out someone the next day to clean it up.