To complain to neighbours smoking in the garden?

[Quickncjust4this]

Our neighbours have recently installed a canvas covered parabola thing in their garden, with one side (the side pointing towards our garden) left open.

They are now using this as an all seasons smoking shelter. Many times through the day and most evenings they are sat out there puffing away.

The problem is it is completely stinking out my house. The whole of our top floor now stinks of smoke. I've shut the windows be it is still coming in through the vents. I've bought new air fresheners which help but it's still awful.

As non smokers it's really unbearable for us I'm also worried about young children and the health effect to them.

Would I be unreasonable to ask them to stop, or at least to add a 4th panel to their shelter to reduce what reaches our home?

They're basically channeling all the smoke out one 'window' of the pergola straight up into your windows. I would ask them to rectify that aspect of their new outdoor hobby.

We get this from our neighbour but it's weed instead. My daughter is in the loft room and the smell gets in, even with everything shut.

It makes me cross that my child is sleeping in a room smelling of drugs!

@Sparklfairy

I never understand this. So you're saying that the smoke from a couple of cigarettes has drifted up from ground floor to your upstairs windows, and got through the vents AND managed to stink out your house without dissipating on the way at all? Defying the laws of physics like that is really impressive.

Indeed.

I think it is highly unlikely if not impossible that such a small amount of diluted smoke would cause any health problems. How many of them are there? They cannot sit out there all day and evening every day, most people just nip out into the garden for a quick fag.

We have something similar, we can smell our neighbours smoke in our bedroom when we have the window open in summer. She has one early at 6-7am and its a horrible smell to wake up to.

We were actually going to put a DC in that room originally but have had our ourselves cos I don't want them smelling it. We haven't said anything, as it's their garden so they can do what they want. It's annoying tho!

Pergolas don't usually have sides. Maybe you mean a gazebo?

It may well be a gazebo, it's quite a sturdy one in that case, more like a permanent structure but with heavy canvas sides

It might come under environmental health of your local council along with bonfires and 'smoke-free' zone.

It could be classed as passive smoking. it's also along the lines of anti-social behaviour /noise.

I'd speak to them first and if that doesn't work, talk to environmental health.

Ask them to reposition the shelter so the open side faces their house. So they get the smoke they are creating.

Nah they can have sides. I was looking to get some for mine.

Answer- In mathematics, a parabola is a plane curve which is mirror-symmetrical and is approximately U-shaped.

Pergola definition is - arbor, trellis. 2: a structure usually consisting of parallel colonnades supporting an open roof of girders and cross rafters.

Your description denotes it is neither.

I thought someone so intellectually inclined would know that.

Just read your last update.

So, a tent then?

I think you need to separate the fact that you hate smokers and think it should be banned (even though it’s legal and 15% of the population smoke), from the separate issue that is your neighbours effectively funnelling second hand smoke into your house.

Once you’ve done that, you may be able to speak to them in a reasonable manner and come to an agreement with them.

Apologies chocolate that my education didn't cover semi permanent garden structures

Tazmac at what point did I state either that I hate smokers or that I would like to see smoking banned?

It seems you have some personal issues there that you might want to look into...

I have literally only stated that it is a nuisance having my home filled with cigarette smoke produced by my neighbours

@Quickncjust4this

I maybe wrong but I thought you had to understand mathematics to a high level to be able to do a PhD in Physics.

@Quickncjust4this just approach them as suggested above and ask them to adjust the tent/ gazebo/ pergola/ marquee. There’s no reason to assume they’ll be arsey about it.

We had awful issues with our neighbours and their DC making an overwhelming amount of noise in the garden for hours and hours at a time. We talked to them very diplomatically, first by text and then in person and it was resolved very amicably.

I thought a phd in a “physics related subject” would have made you able to work out the name of a garden structure. I think I smell something and it ain’t fag smoke.

Taz Mac I'm quite aware of what a parabola is, there is a reason it features in my autocorrect.

You seem quite concerned with my education at the cost of grasping my point

Cigarette smoke is not to be expected (unless you smoke or still live in the 1970's)

Why would cigarette smoke not be expected when 15% of the population smoke? It may be less common now but as 15% of the population smoke, cigarette smoke should not be unexpected.

Why would cigarette smoke not be expected when 15% of the population smoke?

Because 85% don't?

I thought a phd in a “physics related subject” would have made you able to work out the name of a garden structure. I think I smell something and it ain’t fag smoke.

Good heavens. All she's asking for is advice on how to handle unwanted cigarette smoke in her house. Can we focus on that??

Because 85% don't?

But just under 1 in 6 of the population smoke, unless you only mix with 5 other people, chances are you are going to meet a smoker.

I'm sorry you are feeling the need to pick an argument Taz. Is something in your life making you unhappy?

Blimey, the pedantry of some of these threads!

I would pop around with a bottle of plonk or some chocs and tell them the problem and the suggested solution. Ask nicely and calmly.

As an ex-smoker, I would not mind that at all!

OP, YANBU if you ask them ' the right way' I've had this issue before and it didn't go well at first because the smoker was just recovering from cancer - she thought I was diplomatically trying to tell her off for smoking which wasn't the case. She did move her smoking spot though. I think you'll find most smokers would not wilfully cause you this tour of discomfort. Hope it goes well for you