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AIBU?

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Original poster

Bonfire on sunny day

57 replies

SmokedOut · 14/05/2023 16:42

Am I being unreasonable here? I live in a row of terraced houses with small gardens. It’s a rare sunny day in England. We were on our way home from the tip and looked forward to swinging our back doors open and having our toddler play in the garden whilst I cook dinner. My next door neighbour is doing a rather large bonfire of fresh bush and it’s so smoky our house smells of smoke even though we have all our windows and doors shut. This sounds dramatic, but being in the garden is a no go, it’s so smoky. So I’m home alone cooking whilst DH has taken our DS to the park to give him some fresh air and I’m cursing our next door neighbour. Is it just me or is it totally not cool to do bonfires when you have a row of terraced houses with small gardens? I would just put plant stuff in a garden bin or take it to the tip. Or at least check in with your neighbours first. First world problem I know 😂

OP posts:
Lilliflip · 14/05/2023 16:43

No it’s selfish behaviour of the highest order. Unfortunately I also have a selfish bastard neighbour who does exactly the same thing as soon as it’s a nice day.

pecantoucan · 14/05/2023 16:43

Yeah it's not cool and people forget how easily fire can spread and jump. They are so selfish they just want to burn things.

Divorcedalongtime · 14/05/2023 16:49

People get so annoyed with fires, lunacy, it’s just a bit of smoke.

Original poster
SmokedOut · 14/05/2023 16:54

It’s true, it is just smoke, but it is annoying. Genuinely interested to know what you’d do in this scenario?

OP posts:
gogohmm · 14/05/2023 16:58

If it's every weekend then you have a point but 2 or 3 a year is quite acceptable

pecantoucan · 14/05/2023 16:59

Divorcedalongtime · 14/05/2023 16:49

People get so annoyed with fires, lunacy, it’s just a bit of smoke.

And flames

Superdupes · 14/05/2023 17:01

Just a bit of smoke that stops you from enjoying your own garden on a sunny day? Just a bit of smoke that is really unhealthy to be breathing in? Just a bit of smoke that makes your hair and clothes stink?

The only people that are going to defend this are the ones who do it themselves without a thought to their neighbours IMO.

girlfriend44 · 14/05/2023 17:16

You should have told them it's not on, and your house stinks.

Bonfires if you have to have them should be late at night, when ppl dont want to sit out and dry washing.
say something op or it will never end.

Gtsr443 · 14/05/2023 17:24

Divorcedalongtime · 14/05/2023 16:49

People get so annoyed with fires, lunacy, it’s just a bit of smoke.

Rubbish.
The pyromaniac bonfire shagger next door managed to set fire to our fence, overhanging trees and himself. Fire Brigade were furious with him.It was last summer when they were already stretched. Everything was tinder dry. I was praying they'd prosecute the twat.

We used to live in an area where bonfires were banned until after dusk. Very sensible.

Reallybadidea · 14/05/2023 17:27

"Just a bit of smoke" can cause or exacerbate breathing difficulties in some people and be pretty unpleasant for anyone downwind. It's pretty bloody selfish.

Stratocumulus · 14/05/2023 17:27

What I did in that situation ….

I went round to the neighbour & politely pointed out that I had a line of washing out (bedding), another pregnant neighbour had just put out a full line of baby clothes ( presumably washed to freshen them up) and all my upstairs was getting smoke filled.
Fortunately he has never lit one again but I also told him that just because he thought his previous bonfire some weeks earlier, had gone out, it didn’t mean a zephyr of wind overnight wouldn’t fire it up again. He had no idea that some weeks previous I’d had to rise from bed & shut windows!

I’ve also risen from my bed a few years ago, at 0500 on a early autumn morning to shove a note thru a more distant neighbour’s door to ask that he thoroughly douse his bonfires before bed time. He was leaving them smouldering overnight, and if the breeze was coming in my direction it was giving me breathing issues.
Take your courage in hand and speak to your antisocial neighbour. I feel your pain! Good luck.

girlfriend44 · 14/05/2023 17:30

It stinks, it gets in your hair, your eyes, on your clothes, it ruins the clean washing it's unacceptable on a nice day.

Betterbear · 14/05/2023 17:37

My dp is doing this as I type. He does this twice a year. Our garden wall is 10ft tall so probably makes a difference. The neighbours can't really tell which garden it is coming from.

ooooofffff · 14/05/2023 17:43

Our neighbour started having them daily last summer! 30 degrees outside. Garden full of smoke and all our windows closed 🤯

DH spoke to him, neighbour went mad and claimed there was no way smoke travels?!

He did later come and apologise once he'd calmed down. But honestly, some people are so weird and thoughtless

Ilovetea42 · 14/05/2023 17:47

girlfriend44 · 14/05/2023 17:16

You should have told them it's not on, and your house stinks.

Bonfires if you have to have them should be late at night, when ppl dont want to sit out and dry washing.
say something op or it will never end.

Late at night is fine in theory but you can't leave it unattended and until the ashes are properly cooled. Which means you can't go to bed while it's still burning and people sit out later on nice days with the lighter evenings.

We have a burner that we use for garden clippings at times, we never use it when the neighbours have washing out on their lines and as others have said it's usually once or twice a year max. I don't see any problem with it tbh. I don't think it's any worse than my neighbours smoking and the smell wafting into our child's bedroom every night

KezzaMucklowe · 14/05/2023 17:47

Betterbear · 14/05/2023 17:37

My dp is doing this as I type. He does this twice a year. Our garden wall is 10ft tall so probably makes a difference. The neighbours can't really tell which garden it is coming from.

Your DP is a twat.
Why not wait till later when people aren't outside enjoying the sunshine.

KezzaMucklowe · 14/05/2023 17:50

Ilovetea42 · 14/05/2023 17:47

Late at night is fine in theory but you can't leave it unattended and until the ashes are properly cooled. Which means you can't go to bed while it's still burning and people sit out later on nice days with the lighter evenings.

We have a burner that we use for garden clippings at times, we never use it when the neighbours have washing out on their lines and as others have said it's usually once or twice a year max. I don't see any problem with it tbh. I don't think it's any worse than my neighbours smoking and the smell wafting into our child's bedroom every night

Show quote history

It's a lot different. There's a lot more smoke obviously.
We have a burner too and wouldn't use it at all if people have windows open or are sitting outside.

xyz111 · 14/05/2023 17:51

I can't bare people who have bonfires. Can't stand the smell and it forces everyone inside just because that person can't be bothered to dispose of their waste properly.

You are only allowed to burn green garden waste. Anything else is illegal. Keep reporting it every time (if it's not green waste) to the environmental health department of your council.

KezzaMucklowe · 14/05/2023 17:54

xyz111 · 14/05/2023 17:51

I can't bare people who have bonfires. Can't stand the smell and it forces everyone inside just because that person can't be bothered to dispose of their waste properly.

You are only allowed to burn green garden waste. Anything else is illegal. Keep reporting it every time (if it's not green waste) to the environmental health department of your council.

We did exactly this and our neighbours ended up getting a fine.
The idiot even set fire to a tree in his garden.

PrincessHoneysuckle · 14/05/2023 17:57

If we burn anything dh leaves it til early evening and we give neighbours the heads up so they bring washing in

Theunamedcat · 14/05/2023 17:58

We had someone have a bonfire during a drought a couple of years ago took out the neighbours fence and damaged the tree which dropped a limb on my trampoline a few months later you could see the soot and damage on it from the fire I tried pushing it back into their garden (it's their fucking tree) and they threw it into my garden in the night ripping the netting on the bloody trampoline the landlord was useless told me to "just dispose of it rather than wreck neighbourly relationship"

Seriously what amicable relationship can you have with a pot head pyromaniac

FoxCorner · 14/05/2023 17:59

Yanbu. People can take garden waste to the tip or get a green waste bin. Very selfish, especially when it's so close to houses

Mushroo · 14/05/2023 18:04

YANBU what are people burning?! It’s disgusting and unnecessary- use the green bin or compost it.

It’s so selfish for people who have asthma, or just anyone else who wants to use the garden without smelling acrid smoke

LolaSmiles · 14/05/2023 18:07

It's selfish in the middle of the day, other than in situations where someone has a big enough garden for it to not affect others.

KezzaMucklowe · 14/05/2023 18:14

PrincessHoneysuckle · 14/05/2023 17:57

If we burn anything dh leaves it til early evening and we give neighbours the heads up so they bring washing in

I don't think anyone would have a problem with this. It's a really reasonable way to behave.