Wind chimes that neighbour refuses to move

[Fumblebug]

Yes, it's another AIBU about wind chimes. We politely asked our neighbours to move their wind chimes as we could hear them clearly in our garden and in our house with the windows or doors open (these aren't the little tinkly chimes but the big resonant tubular bells – Mike Oldfield would be proud). The neighbours were quite hostile but did move them – about two feet from where they had previously been. We could still hear them although slightly less frequently. We politely asked again but they were very aggressive, accused us of harassing them, and cut off all contact with us. The wind chimes remain. We can still hear them even on slightly breezy days. We can't leave our bedroom window open at night as the sound carries right into our room, which is especially frustrating during this hot weather. We've been quite distressed and frustrated and can't enjoy our house and garden like we used to. I guess some people might think we are being unreasonable – it's only a musical noise right? not a barking dog or anything – but this really is a problem for us. We've considered contacting the council about nuisance noise but this might be very provocative and also hard to prove. What should we do?

You have to fight noise with noise. Buy some hollow bamboo poles, cut them at an angle and make your own super sized pan pipes. You will have to endure the noise yourself for as long as it takes but after a while the deep paaarping of your pipes will have them knocking the door with a compromise.

Snip snip

If they are 'musically tuned' fancy ones I would actually get some cheap ones that make you feel like you've got tinnitus and hang them as near to where they can hear them in at least one place if not a few. But I'm petty like that.

I'm going to buy some, thank you for the idea. I have neighbours that play music in the garden so I go indoors, but I could leave these outside when they go to bed early!

Time for someone in your house to learn the violin, drums or recorder.

YANBU they are awful things. The previous owner of our house left some in the garden when he moved out. I got rid of them within a week I think because the sound was so irritating. Our neighbours made sure to tell us how grateful they were!

I had this with my old neighbour. I hate the horrible things.
Im a petty bitch so I played that annoying crazy frog song on repeat whenever they were in the garden. Made me feel better although not a grown up response I will admit.

Can I just say, these comments have really cheered me up. Next time I’m feeling chimed out I shall read through this again. You Mumsnetters are a real pick-me-up. Thank you so much! I don’t feel so isolated now. X

Yikes. Well, I’m feeling very guilty now as we have wind chimes, and I had no absolutely no idea they were so problematic. In fairness, none of our neighbours have ever complained, and we do take them down on windy days. They are also on the side of the house that has no neighbours.

I really don't understand wind chimes. When the wind blows I love to hear the rustling of the trees, not not some clonking metal tubes from a neighbour!

Get one of those vuvuzela horn things and blast it every time you hear the chimes. See how they like it.

I don’t believe I have. We were actually on ‘good day to you’ terms until the pipes of doom arrived. But you have made me wonder if I’ve done anything to annoy them. Although as I’ve mentioned the houses aren’t attached and our kids are grown up so I can’t think of anything.

There are many sounds more annoying (to me) than wind chimes, but for some reason MN hates the things.

I'm fairly isolated, but on windy days I can hear some wind chimes from our nearest neighbours. The sound carries farther than you might guess, so as a pp said, they may not have been able to move them far away enough to satisfy you, unfortunately. It was either take them down or ignore you. You'll have to resort to earplugs, white noise, etc.

You need something like a burglar alarm that's triggered by sound. Don't know if such a thing exists. Every time the wind blows the whole neighbourhood is bathed in sirens. Oh, dear, if only your wind chimes didn't set it off...

Get a floodlight and aim it for there bedroom and keep it on permanently. If they request it’s turned off then politely agree as long as they remove wind chimes!
or just go and steel the wind chimes and burn them!

I like wind chimes and this wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

I do have some of my own, though they aren't hung outside. They are just inside the back door so only sound if the wind blows through when it is open.

I don't think the voting means anything, it's not clear what question it's asking.

can you reach them with a long garden tool? If you can, I'd keep taking them down...no theft/damage,

id WANT to use the long handled sheers & chop them off, but I'd TRY to restrain myself.

I have a dear friend who was chronically ill and working part time who was driven almost mad by her neighbour's wind chimes. I don't see how anyone can fail to understand how annoying a constant noise can be.

@Fumblebug

We didn't have kids at the time. The noise she objected to was TV in the early evening and general chatter - 2 adults going about their lives. If we hadn't moved, I'd have reported her for harassment.

PS. Left the wind chimes when we left 😄

Buy them a small fan and a hook so they can hang them inside their house.

Long hedge trimmers or superglue.

With you, OP.

Dh actually nipped into the neighbour's garden when they were out and stuffed them into a bush

They have since been replaced but the new ones aren't as nerve shredding so we tolerate plus can't get into garden now due to new fence

There are some wooden ones close but they seem less intrusive. Another neighbour planned to install pipes of --hell- Pan but were fortunately very reasonable when we asked them not to and have banished them to the shed.

I think we live in windchime hell...

Could you ask them to mute them (or take them inside) at night, perhaps?

That first sentence could equally apply to barking dogs .... Would prefer wind chimes any day!

Wait until the next storm, like Storm Eunice we had earlier this year, or perhaps a thunderstorm would do. Nip over the fence, cut them down, leave one behind on the floor to make it seem like all but one blew away...!