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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think five cars is fucking ridiculous

191 replies

VividVoltage · 22/02/2022 13:56

Background: New neighbours moved in around a year ago. They are loud, rude, and messy. Loud parties in the summer where they're out in the garden shouting until the small hours, coming home drunk from nights out and spewing all over the street on their way to their door, leaving their rubbish where it lands, whole can of paint spilled on the pavement and just left, the husband was tipping paint and oil down the drains in the street, loud music played outdoors at all hours, and so on. Anyone who complains to their faces gets told to "fuck right off" and then usually gets a follow up doorstep visit from the husband. We live in a nice area and a small street that was quiet until they arrived. Last week we had the fire brigade out to the street because he started a bonfire on the driveway (at 10am) chucked petrol on it and then went off in his car, leaving it to burn on its own. The front garden daytime bonfire is an almost weekly occurrence.

So yes, they're nobs and yes, we have complained about them as have other neighbours.

He's been working on a scrap car in his driveway since they moved in. When he's working on the car he has loud music thumping the entire time, he will go out or go in the house and leave the music going even when he's not there with it. He has tools everywhere, not just on his driveway but scattered all over the pavement too and just leaves them there for days so you have to step around them to get past. He uses various chemicals, spray paint, etc and again they're just left lying around before, during, and after plus they stink. He has power tools going, and so on. And this isn't just in daylight hours, he's out there at 10pm at times. Even when it is daylight hours, explicit rap music at top.volume for 8-10 hours straight is too much (and by explicit I mean sexually explicit language as well as swearing).

This scrap car was then joined by a second scrap car that he is also working on and is side by side with the one one on the driveway.

In addition to this they have three running cars. They drive these like utter dickheads, speeding in the street (it's a 20 zone). The three cars get parked on what used to be the grass verges in the street but are now tyre-churned mud baths where they're ripped all the grass up from parking on them. They don't park considerately on these either and will park wholly on the verge so that two wheels are on the grass verge and two are on the pavement so you have to go on the road to get around them. Or they'll park directly opposite a driveway (narrow street) so that you can't get your car on or off without knocking and asking them to move it.

This morning a third scrap car has been delivered and squashed onto the driveway with its back end hanging out and completely blocking the pavement.

AIBU to make yet another complaint to the council and how do I get them to fucking listen? I know I'm not the only person in the street who has complained and the most they do is send a letter. We know when they receive the letter because he will stand at his door and bellow "fuck you all" and then will blast his music or bang around or set a bonfire like he's punishing us all.

OP posts:
Tinkletwat · 22/02/2022 17:16

Why should she move though?? She's not the one causing all the problems yet would have the hassle and expense of moving just because of these idiots.

Imaging moving because of them only to find they move into your new street in a few years.

So sick of people not being held accountable for their own actions.

xumaix · 22/02/2022 17:18

If only there was a housing compound in every Council Ward where such people could be kept together to drive each OTHER nuts and leave the rest of us alone.

Perhaps the Netherlands has the right idea, but of course it is called a Right Wing plot, nothing about the effect on persistent ASB on law abiding people, oh no. Councils, take note.

www.antarcticajournal.com/amsterdams-scum-villages/

wildery · 22/02/2022 17:25

This reminds me of the plot of the book Those People by Louise Candlish. Be careful about making complaints if you are planning to sell any time soon as you’ll have to disclose disputes to the buyer. Good luck, I feel for you

ipsofatto999 · 22/02/2022 17:29

From bitter personal experience you have two options at this stage.

  1. get a solicitor to write a letter before action threatening private nuisance proceedings and be prepared to go through with it. It will take 18 months to come before a court. These 18 months will be a living hell. If your claim does not succeed/you back out due to the hellish interim months of having to cotinue living next to them, you will then be unable to do option 2, which is 2) Move ASAP. If you opt for two, make no further complaints and do not engage.
    You should in any event make a formal complaint to the Council about their failure to act; disgraceful that they won't take action. Awful - you have my sympathies.
CambsAlways · 22/02/2022 18:11

Well I hope you get all the help you need! Jeez I couldn’t put up with any of it! So glad we live in a quiet area, feel for you op really do

WanJames · 22/02/2022 18:21

You have my sympathies op, I’ve had similar and in the end I exchanged with another council tenant who behaves similarly (so my new neighbours are very happy) 🤣

Unsure33 · 22/02/2022 18:36

@caranations

Write to the council tax department and tell them that someone may be running a business from a private house, so should they be paying business rates?

Write to the planning department and ask whether planning permission has been granted for a vehicle repairs business at that address.

Write to your local councillor, your district councillor and your MP.

Contact environmental health and tell them you are concerned that hazardous materials could be being stored on the premises.

Write to the highways department and complain about damage to the grass verges.

If all else fails, anonymously get in touch with the local paper.

All of these plus the local health and safety executives ( HSE) say you think they are running a business and have no respect for health and safety rules.
roundtable · 22/02/2022 18:49

@rifling

I really feel for you OP. We had a similar problem a few years back but it was with motorbikes and he would rev them up all hours of the day and night and have loads of friends around to do the same - apparently he was fixing them but as soon as they were fixed, more arrived! The problem was solved in an unexpected manner but I used to dread coming home. So much more should be done to curb antisocial behaviour as it literally ruins lives.
What did you do to them? Shock

Are they still alive?!

Great advice on here op, I hope it works out for you - it sounds horrendous. Why are people so selfish?

Satingreenshutters · 22/02/2022 18:56

The vomiting would do it for me alone....scumbags.

Chloemol · 22/02/2022 19:12

Report to enforcement at your council, tell them he is running a business. Enforcement will not tell them who has reported

Report to environmental health at your local council for noise, use of smelly stuff etc

Paint down the drain report to your local water company

Verges report to your local authority

I would just report each and every time to each department as above and copy to the housing department

Involve your local councillor, and as necessary contact the police or fire brigade

Keep a note of each time they do something

GoldenLightNights · 22/02/2022 19:14

Isn’t it horrible how just one family can really ruin an area for lots of other residents. So selfish.

rifling · 22/02/2022 19:28

@roundtable

I didn't do anything, honest! He had a bike accident and ended up in a wheelchair so gave up all the bikes and had to move to a more accessible property. Actually I still see him around locally and he has become so much more community-minded now and has done a lot of work on making local amenities wheel-chair accessible.

roundtable · 22/02/2022 20:03

That wasn't the answer I was expecting!

It feels wrong to be pleased for you.

VividVoltage · 18/03/2022 17:25

Popping back to update.

I contacted my local Councillor, he said he would keep everything anonymous and would have a walk past our street on his monthly tour of the ward. He got back in touch to say that he saw all of the issues for himself during this tour and has made a report to the council under his own name so there's no way for it to be traced back to me, it's basically been done like he spotted a problem entirely by chance as part of a routine walkaround.

He's even hback in touch again today to say that they've been issued with a formal warning, the council will be monitoring them in case of further complaints, and they're being billed for damages caused to the outside of the property and the street.

OP posts:
OhTinyBear · 18/03/2022 17:29

That’s a great update @VividVoltage Smile it’s nice when local democracy works. Elected representatives doing the work they’re elected for. Lovely stuff.

(Local elections in May, so if anyone’s having similar issues they might find their local councillors are especially keen to help at the moment.)

MadeInChorley · 18/03/2022 17:46

We had similar once and decided to improve and prettify the grass verge to prevent parking on it. With the agreement of the community council we placed three very large rocks on the verge, painted white so you absolutely can’t miss them, and planted two trees, with metal frames to protect them from damage. Very pretty. Some spring bulbs too. We agreed to mow the verge and called it “the pocket park”. Neighbours approved. That stopped the parking and meant the annoying neighbours had to park their running cars on their drive, so they couldn’t work on their noisy motorcycles anymore. Made the road look much better.

ThatPosterIsSoRight · 18/03/2022 17:49

Yay good job councillor!

longwayoff · 18/03/2022 17:55

Excellent. Voters take note. 8 weeks or so to get results before elections.

Mix56 · 18/03/2022 18:22

Excellent

Leftbutcameback · 18/03/2022 18:35

Excellent update, and thanks fir coming back OP!

crackersforcrackers · 18/03/2022 18:37

What a great update! The Councillor sounds pretty great too. So glad it's being sorted Smile

DontLookBackInAnger1 · 18/03/2022 18:40

Sounds like a nightmare! No advice...

Ilikewinter · 18/03/2022 18:44

Excellent, keeping fingers crossed for you

Progress2019 · 18/03/2022 19:22

That’s great news Vivid 😀

VividVoltage · 25/03/2022 10:22

Further update.

It turns out that some of the cars aren't taxed. The DVLA have been out this morning, clamped two of the cars that are parked on the road, ticketed them, and put big red and yellow "untaxed vehicle" stickers on the windows.

OP posts: