Neighbours lit bonfire before 4pm

[Bonfiredrama]

it was a very sunny day last week - I had 2 loads of washing out and my mum and kids were in the garden. Neighbours next door have a 3ft fence between our gardens. My kids were playing near the fence and my mum was sitting out watching them while I popped to the shop around 3.30.

The neighbour had started lighting a bonfire and chucking all sorts of stuff on it from around the garden (my mum said flames were about 6ft high)

My mum shouted over politely: ‘hey we have kids playing outside here and washing on the line, please can you put that out’. The neighbour can’t communicate very well in English but we usually get by with pleasantries etc. She started shouting and saying that my mum can’t tell her what to do and that she was being rude.

the daughter came out and my mum was explaining about the kids and the washing. The daughter screamed ‘I don’t give a fuck about your kids” - with my kids right there in earshot. My 6 year old could easily understand what she said.

I am fuming particularly about screaming in front of my kids. AIBU? What would you do? I have their landlord details but I don’t know what to do next. I don’t really want to go down the council route as we will have to declare it if we move house.

😂

If they put it out while your mum took the washing in, it'd cause way more smoke.

Much quicker to just grab the washing in.

They should've given her the heads up before lighting it though.

Ok you’re all making me feel better. On the day when I caught the tail end, I asked the dad for them to let me know before they start one next time.

one of my mum’s concerns was that a spark could get over the fence and set the trampoline alight so I think she was panicking a bit. Our gardens are super narrow terraced and with low fences so I can understand the worry a little.

https://www.gov.uk/garden-bonfires-rules

In particular

You cannot get rid of household waste if it will cause pollution or harm people’s health. This includes burning it.

So if they are burning 'waste' then there may well be an issue

Depends if it happens again but I suggest that lighting it on a warm day with washing out is inconsiderate at best

If they swear then the Police can get involved

If they do it again then contact The Council with evidence eg photo's of what they are burning and the landlords

We had a neighbour whose gardener lit a bonfire every tuesday burning the fresh garden rubbish. I rang our local council and they were amazing - came out when one was burning and banged on their door to explain that it was causing a nuisance and that if it carried on, they could be served an enforcement notice.

There is no acceptable time to light one, they're antisocial and an absolute nuisance. Why should everyone around them have to breathe that in and have it all through their house?

I think that's incredibly inconsiderate OP and can see why you are pissed off. Apart from the things you mentioned, people shouldn't light bonfires that mean people end up having to sit in their houses on hot days with all the windows shut.

Very adult

How many bonfire-induced trampoline fires have been in the news recently?

Where I live residents aren't permitted to have bonfires in gardens and it is dealt with as antisocial behaviour.

Weirdly I live in a smokeless zone so all internal fires have to be smokeless fuel. Doesn't apply outdoors though.

I do burn some dried garden clippings in a chimenea but wait till dusk.

Where do you live? Nothing like that here.

One of my DC also live in a smoke free zone, literally a few miles down the road and in the same county.
Shame it's not a county blanket thing.

If they're just burning garden stuff like wood and branches, they're probably not actually doing anything wrong. Yes, it's annoying. Yes, it's inconsiderate not to warn you so you can get washing in etc. But they're not obliged to warn you, or to put the fire out when asked, just like they're not obliged to warn you they're having a barbecue or something.

If they're doing it regularly, that might be different, enforcement-wise.

I've had a neighbour insist I put a bonfire out and it really did cause way more smoke than letting it die out naturally.

It is bad not to check if people have their washing out, I'd always do this but I don't think I'd think to think about other people's kids playing out to be honest. Is it bad for them?

Living in a smoke-free zone, does NOT mean you can't have bonfires.

You just need to follow the rules on what you can and can't burn, but that's the same in all areas.

Really? Ŵhy so your needs trump next doors?

Yes its bloody annoying but by 4pm. Youve had time to get your washing dry and enjoy the garden all day

I wouldnt have said anything.

My neighbours live to bbq and its really annoying with washing out. But i would never say anything

www.gov.uk/garden-bonfires-rules

@sandyhappypeople some people think having a bonfire at anytime is selfish, how about that?

And you wouldn't have put it out with a hosepipe, ridiculous keyboard bluster!

🙄

These rules only apply if you have a considerable neighbour, one that can actually read and understand, or a person from Environmental health at the local council can be bothered to implement the rules and go out to visit those having the fires.

Far to many rules aren't implemented today which is exactly why people behave as they do.

I think your mum was really cheeky actually. She doesn’t even live there. Obviously your neighbours weren’t polite in their response but she had no business telling them to put it out!

Of course they did something wrong. If a garden bonfire is affecting a neighbour's reasonable enjoyment of their property then the council can take action. They are causing a statutory nuisance and could be reported if OP wanted to. You have to consider neighbours when starting fires in your garden.

Yes she did. The smoke was blowing into her garden and on her washing and kids playing outside. That counts as a statutory nuisance and impacting neighbours' enjoyment of their property. The neighbour should have put the fire out.

Not her garden 👍🏻

The smoke was blowing into her garden.

The rules on bonfires are that they should not cause a nuisance or impact people's enjoyment of their property.

You can't just start a fire and blow smoke all over other people's washing/ kids.