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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Wind chimes that neighbour refuses to move

158 replies

Fumblebug · 12/07/2022 16:54

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?

OP posts:
RosalindsAFuckingNightmare · 13/07/2022 00:02

Oh cripes... <tiptoes into garden and takes wind chimes down>

Original poster
Fumblebug · 13/07/2022 07:06

DrNo007 · 12/07/2022 22:54

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.

Thank you for this advice 🙏

OP posts:
Sistanotcista · 13/07/2022 10:50

WorkHardPlayHard1 · 12/07/2022 21:51

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

Show quote history

@WorkHardPlayHard1 - already done! Another thing I have learnt from Mumsnet :)

PuckeredArseFace · 13/07/2022 10:56

Glad the paper has picked it up
perhaps more people will ditch the bastards

YarnSquirrel · 14/07/2022 09:57

Maybe ask if they could just pop them up when they are actually in the garden and take them down when not? then you can justify not actually stopping their enjoyment of them, just that they are not "operational" when they are not in the garden and awakening you at night.

I think if you go to the council then they would help as the noise at night is something they would be able to help you with. Are other neighbours affected? you could ask them too.

Original poster
Fumblebug · 14/07/2022 11:09

YarnSquirrel · 14/07/2022 09:57

Maybe ask if they could just pop them up when they are actually in the garden and take them down when not? then you can justify not actually stopping their enjoyment of them, just that they are not "operational" when they are not in the garden and awakening you at night.

I think if you go to the council then they would help as the noise at night is something they would be able to help you with. Are other neighbours affected? you could ask them too.

Thanks for your advice and yes, that would be a good compromise I think. But they refuse to talk to us and are very hostile when we've made overtures to them. We're reluctant to go down the council route as we feel that will be an escalation, but we also need to do something as it's not fair that we should have a noise imposed on us. So we're torn between the long road of suffering in silence, or following the advice on here that says we shouldn't have to put it up with and to stop being so nice!

OP posts:
Bdragon · 14/07/2022 12:24

I like wind chimes, which is just as well, as a neighbour a couple of gardens down has about 5 of them.

Having lived next door to non-stop barking dogs, and an ultrasonic cat scarer that was wrongly set to be audible to humans, I will take wind chimes any day of the week.

TreePoser · 14/07/2022 12:29

IGotItInTheSales · 12/07/2022 17:02

Bit of superglue....

Excellent idea

Fraaahnces · 14/07/2022 12:36

Get yourself a giant gong and some singing bowls and go and “meditate” several (many) times every day. (Complete with tuneless chanting). Do it in the nude if it’s a sunny day. When they inevitably complain, say that you were inspired by their wind chimes.

NotquitewhatImeant · 14/07/2022 12:45

Get your own wind chimes. Then they can find out how annoying it is and it also ruins the sound of theirs. That would be amazingly passive aggressive…

Alexandra2001 · 14/07/2022 12:51

When they are out, pop round and using a serrated knife, cut through the strings, as if something has gnawed away at them.

Tell the neighbours that you ve seen rats climbing over them.

fwiw me an my partner did this to someone who put a chime, worked a treat.

ThreeLittleDots · 14/07/2022 16:40

fwiw me an my partner did this to someone who put a chime, worked a treat

You were lucky they didn't try to sue you for trespass and criminal damage.

AdobeWanKenobi · 14/07/2022 16:56

ThreeLittleDots · 14/07/2022 16:40

fwiw me an my partner did this to someone who put a chime, worked a treat

You were lucky they didn't try to sue you for trespass and criminal damage.

Ridiculous isn't it?
It's like these threads attract a selection of utter fantasies desperately trying to outdo each other with the most ridiculous suggestions, usually when called out they then claim 'it was a joke'.

Meanwhile, in the real world, anyone who found their wind chimes had been stolen/snipped/smeared with chocolate or any of the other outlandish suggestions on here would immediately A. Contact Police followed by B. Replace them, probably with more or even bigger ones than they started with.

Alexandra2001 · 14/07/2022 20:44

ThreeLittleDots · 14/07/2022 16:40

fwiw me an my partner did this to someone who put a chime, worked a treat

You were lucky they didn't try to sue you for trespass and criminal damage.

Why? perfectly plausible and they were out...so never knew... and it worked, we still get on fine, i lived next to them for 20 odd years and still say Hi in the local Tesco.... not if they read this though lol.

Sounds like your the type to put in wind chimes knowing it pisses people off ?

You also have a touching belief in law enforcement, there really isn't any, nor do Councils take any notice of their rules and regs either.

Austerity has removed the rule of law in this country.

ThreeLittleDots · 14/07/2022 23:20

I wasn't taking about the police or the council. If someone caught trespass on a camera their lawyer can start a civil claim, should they be bothered (and some people really don't like their expensive belongings being damaged - windchimes cost hundreds for proper ones).

Btw, this thread has been syndicated to the Mail Online group and the posts are popping up everywhere.

ThisIsNotForTears · 14/07/2022 23:32

You shouldn't damage them, but you should temporarily silence them before you go to bed.

If they're those wind chimes with a ball or disk in the middle, wrap the ball or disk in a baby sock or a balloon or something. It will silence the chimes so you can sleep but you haven't damaged them.

After your neighbour has removed socks from their wind chimes every morning for a week, maybe they will reconsider. Or just not bother removing them, which means problem solved.

milkyaqua · 15/07/2022 00:26

Scissors, darling!

Dita73 · 15/07/2022 02:40

We got a new neighbour a few years ago. First thing he did was put up wind chimes. A bit annoying but we could deal with it. We eventually met him and he’s deaf!!! What’s the point?!

Fraaahnces · 15/07/2022 03:33

You could also strangle them with duct tape. Wouldn’t damage them but it’s a bitch to get off.

PaulaTrilloe · 15/07/2022 04:35

Elastic bands around them to prevent them making noise but not damaging them

KalvinPhillipsBoots · 15/07/2022 04:41

saveforthat · 12/07/2022 16:57

Could you accidentally damage/destroy/lose them when they are out one day?

Are you stupid?

KalvinPhillipsBoots · 15/07/2022 04:42

Oh OP if this is all in life you have to moan about? A Wind Chime?

Nat6999 · 15/07/2022 05:27

Have you got a clothes prop? Just the right size to reach over the fence.😈

ToffeeNotCoffee · 15/07/2022 06:04

Oh OP if this is all in life you have to moan about? A Wind Chime?

Maybe stop it with the goading ?