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?

Absolutely love you!! Made me lol!! 🤣🤣🤣

True. I think both may be equally as antisocial.

Take them down pronto!! It's must be very stressful to be subjected to constant noise that just occurs randomly that you have no control over! Xxx

Good point about the vote. Let’s call it 90-10 to me then!

Definitely you are not unreasonable, in fact you are too nice and need to take some action or risk getting very irritable and frustrated!! 🤪😇

We are too intimidated now to talk to them, unfortunately. They’ve made it very clear we’ve been sent to that famous town down the road in the centre of England.

Thank you. And for making me laugh too.

As an alternative view, have a look at the lifexchangesolutions.com/reticular-activating-system/

People sleep through a partner snoring, a train track outside, storms and (even!) wind chimes because the brain is able to filter out unnecessary stimuli as unimportant. On the other hand the brain can pick up on your name being mentioned in someone else's conversation in a crowded room. If you can convince yourself that the wind chimes aren't a problem you will stop hearing them.

Wow - now that’s really interesting. Thanks.

Ok here I go again with the same advice I give everyone who is bothered by noise.

OP You do not have to ‘get used to it’ and please don’t take petty retaliatory action as it can result in a complaint against you.

Complain to the council and hopefully they should send your nuisance neighbour a letter telling them to stop the noise nuisance.

If your council is crap then get a firm called Sanctum Consultants (they have a website) to help you go the legal route. They are not expensive at all and it is 95% probable that a carefully worded pre-legal action letter will solve the problem. Most such cases never go to court as few noise makers want to let it go that far.

As a veteran of several noise disputes, which I have won, I would advise anyone not to put up with noise nuisance. It is because most people in this country don’t stand up for their rights that we have such problems with noise and antisocial behaviour.

A quick Google suggests you could make a complaint as pp has said. I did see this though, on how to piss off your neighbours and get your own back 😂:

Get a cat -
It will be obvious if you train a dog to shit on their garden but cats are little poo ninjas. It’s unlikely they’ll ever be able to prove it was your feline friend crapping in their flower beds, especially if you pretend to get all defensive and insist Bootsie only uses a litter tray.

Could you take a mental health stance.... say that they are giving you strong anxiety as you find the sound haunting and unnerving.

Perhaps writing it in a letter would be better

I really, really feel your pain, OP. I have been there. Bastard neighbours (CLANG!) with their (CLANG!) bloody great metal chimes that would (CLANG! CLANG!) chime all day and (CLANG!) all night in an unpre(CLANG!)dictable way nearly drove me demented, especially on windy nights. Two bloody years I put up with them. The owners knew how much distress they caused some of their neighbours, but they liked the power trip.
[These days I would call Environmental Health - they have been very good about gas guns locally (bird scarers).]
And then, one night, after a rather raucous street party, they disappeared... Best day of my life! The owners were incensed that their chimes had been nicked. They banged on my door and shouted at me, but I could absolutely hand on heart say I had no idea who'd done it. Later on I found out (another neighbour) :) But the chimes were never replaced.
I am still traumatised if I see the bloody things - they are an abomination!

You could add that it's because you've read about the sound of wind chines being successful in invoking evil spirits (I made that up, don't worry) and that is why you're getting anxiety.

Put your stereo speakers up against your ajoining bedroom wall. Put "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield on repeat. Turn up the volume and leave the house. Book a night in a hotel and return next day. Problem should be solved.

you could play any of the following loudly at random times to give them a taste of their own medicine.
• the tellytubbies theme tune
• wishmaster - night wish
• any Kanye west song
• swagger jagger by Cher Lloyd
• the cheeky song by the cheeky girls

Alternatively take up the Theramin as a hobby

This thread should have a trigger warning 😂

Christ. The suppressed memory of four years of those twinkly bullshit sticks of crap I endured years ago.

They should be banned.

Get a drumkit/recorder and start practising it..

Genius 😂

Any noise that is allowed to travel across gardens and be inflicted on neighbours is anti social - that is loud music, wind chimes, barking dogs, screaming kids (not playing, screaming) or giant uncoiled trampolines etc etc. if people aimed to contain their noise to their own property, life would be happier for all.

The next road to me, which I walk on regularly has wind chimes in a doorway. Every time I pass I think "poor neighbours" Why do people do that??

Get an author and set it off every time you hear the windchime. When the neighbour complains then just say that you find the chimes as annoying as they find the airhorn. When one stops,so will the other.

Air horn

Or a vuvuzela. Or learn the pan pipes