WIBU to cut the christmas light wires

[Cordyceps]

The woman who is on the other side of our semi has installed randomly flashing christmas lights around her shrubbery that is approximately as bright as the sun. They are left on all night and it's like a fucking strobe light disco in my bedroom.
Previous attempts to reason with her about parking (to ask that she not park directly in the middle of a space large enough for two cars, so that I, too, could park at the end of the little private road behind our houses) have been met with verbal abuse, and the only reason I haven't called the police is because I don't want to have to register a neighbour dispute when we sell up. So sneaking out at 4 am to snip the wires on her fucking lights is totally reasonable, right?

YANBU.

Invest in black out curtains. Don't reduce yourself to their level.

We have solar lights in our bushes but they aren't very bright and they go off at 8pm. I think some people go over the top though.

I've got battery operated lights, and they've got a timer-on for 8 hours and off for 16.Can you creep up and see if hers have a timer you could adjust?

There’s always one isn’t there?

Eye masks 18.9 pence a piece

IME you can't change your neighbours behaviour the only thing you can do is change your reaction to it.

But spray paint and carefully spray them all black.

Why should the OP have to invest in eye masks or black out curtains because her neighbour is an antisocial twat?

@Cordyceps

The woman who is on the other side of our semi has installed randomly flashing christmas lights around her shrubbery that is approximately as bright as the sun. They are left on all night and it's like a fucking strobe light disco in my bedroom. Previous attempts to reason with her about parking (to ask that she not park directly in the middle of a space large enough for two cars, so that I, too, could park at the end of the little private road behind our houses) have been met with verbal abuse, and the only reason I haven't called the police is because I don't want to have to register a neighbour dispute when we sell up. So sneaking out at 4 am to snip the wires on her fucking lights is totally reasonable, right?

Don your flak jacket.....

Sadly it seems the rights of those who like these abominations must overide those of us who hate them.

Do it

I was tempted to say “So long as you don’t escalate to torching her car, I’d say do it !
Check for doorbell camera things first though.”

Instead I’d say ‘will unscrewing one of the lights make all the rest go off ?

Still check for cameras.

@Kippersfortea

IME you can't change your neighbours behaviour the only thing you can do is change your reaction to it.

My reaction is to cut the wires.

Obviously I'm not going to actually do that, not least because she has about seventeen cameras on her house pointing in every direction, but by god it's infuriating. I'm going to be pinning a heavy wool blanket directly over the bedroom window today to get me through the next couple of months, but I can't do that on every window and even just sitting in the living room with the normal curtains closed and the lamps on it's still a constant flash flash flash that you can never get used to or ignore because the pattern changes every few seconds. There's no escape and I would not be remotely surprised if she decided to leave them up year round.

I had something like this years ago. I lived in the quietest little village where everyone knew everyone.
A young couple bought the tiny cottage opposite my house. They actually lived about 50 miles away in the nearest city. They didn't move into the cottage or rent it out. But they put lots of very bright security lights all round it. They were on 24 hours a day. It was horrendous. No one could sleep and they were totally unnecessary.
Whenever they visited, they were met with many requests to turn them off or put them on a timer. They refused.
Unfortunately for them, this little cottage was in a dip in the road and it flooded every year. When the old lady lived there we all helped her out with sand bags etc.
When the inevitable happened and the cottage flooded, not one person lifted a finger.
They were so upset and couldn't understand why no one liked them.
They sold the cottage very quickly after.

I'd cut it in a heart beat..

Use something that frays it though instead of just cutting it with a scissors, That's always how they know that brakes were intentionally cut in the movies😉

So have you tried asking her to turn them off at e.g. 11pm?

Ok, you might be met with abuse, but it's surely worth asking at least?

@DidgeDoolittle

I had something like this years ago. I lived in the quietest little village where everyone knew everyone. A young couple bought the tiny cottage opposite my house. They actually lived about 50 miles away in the nearest city. They didn't move into the cottage or rent it out. But they put lots of very bright security lights all round it. They were on 24 hours a day. It was horrendous. No one could sleep and they were totally unnecessary. Whenever they visited, they were met with many requests to turn them off or put them on a timer. They refused. Unfortunately for them, this little cottage was in a dip in the road and it flooded every year. When the old lady lived there we all helped her out with sand bags etc. When the inevitable happened and the cottage flooded, not one person lifted a finger. They were so upset and couldn't understand why no one liked them. They sold the cottage very quickly after.

A few summers ago neighbour was gone for a few weeks and all of her flower beds and potted plants started to die so I kept them watered alongside mine. She came home finally on a day when I'd just done the watering and the pavement was a bit wet and she knocked on my door and told me to quit spraying my hosepipe all over like an idiot 😂 When she went away again later that summer she came back to a load of dead sticks where her flowers used to be and I had a glass of wine on my front step while she furiously ripped them all up. It's funny how these utter shitebags hurt themselves more than they hurt anyone else in the end.

Can you report it to the council as a nuisance, someone on the street could be epileptic

I'd have to go bigger and better and really piss them off.

I would love to call the council but they won't do anything, other neighbours have reported her for everything from screaming abuse on the street, dog fouling in their gardens, having massive parties during lockdown with music blaring until 4 AM, and literally no one has ever done anything. Council is completely overwhelmed here and the only thing that happened when she was reported for lockdown parties is that the police community support officers knocked on her door, and shrugged their shoulders and left a little note when she didn't answer (I watched them do it, LOL).

The only thing I'd do if I contacted the council or the police would be to put a neighbour dispute on record that I'd have to disclosed when I sell the house.

Oh my pet hate. Three people in every hundred who have epilepsy (like me) have photo sensitive epilepsy and you would think not putting people at risk of seizures and serious injury, is more important than fucking Christmas lights. But no, people have to be selfish twats.

Unfortunately, unlike things like bicycle lights, there are no laws about the frequency of flashing Christmas lights. You can complain about "nuisance lights" to the council but it is unlikely they will do anything, as they only have to be a nuisance to the average person, not someone with disabilities (yep, how shit is that?)

If anyone is considering flashing lights outside, please take this into consideration!

I'll be your alibi, you were with me, not in a full black tracksuit, sneaking across her garden with shears...

I mean seriously, why not pop a set of windchimes as well??

@analbumcover

Do it

Yes, do it and then can you come along and deal with the idiot across the road who has his National Lampoon display all ready to go! I have a conifer which I refuse to cut as it blocks a lot of his abomination. He was up a ladder erecting the other day and I'm not ashamed to say that I crossed my fingers for him to fall off it!