Neighbours sat in car for hours on end with engine running. It this weird

[greenishredblue]

Names changed as could be outing

we got some new neighbours across from us about 6 months ago. A man and a women. I was talking to another neighbour and she asked if I had noticed they sit in their car for hours on end with the engine on. Now I had noticed them a few times sat in the car but though nothing if it. The car is parked outside this neighbours house a lot.

Now the neighbour has said to me DH and I have been more aware of it, especially with doing lots of work in the garden. And the fumes from the car as well have been more noticeable since we have been outside a lot. Neighbour is a bit nearer so has noticed them doing it during the day and at night as well. Usually between midnight and 6am.

Basically they sit in the car sometimes it’s the man, sometimes the women, sometimes both. The engine is running all the time (yesterday it was about 7 hours). They seem to be always on their phones and then one of them will get out go in the house and then come back out again into the car. Sometimes they will just get out of the car, walk round it and get back in.

yesterday the other neighbours husband went out and asked them to turn the engine off as his son has asthma and the car is right outside his window and was told very forcefully to mind his own fucking business.

now if it was not for the engine being on all the time I probably would just shrug and think “each to there own”. But this is very strange is it not?

Sounds like they are using the car to charge their phones. It is illegal to sit with the engine idling so I'd contact the non-emergency police number for advice and they may have a word with them. No point approaching them yourself if they are hostile.

I’d start keeping a log and report to council. They can’t do this on a public road. If it’s a driveway I think it’s different though.

are they using someone elses wifi?

Maybe can’t afford the heating / electricity inside?

Do an online report to 101 explaining what's going on and maybe they'll do a drive by.

Hopefully your (car) neighbours will just think it's a general stop to see why they're sitting there engine idling, which as said previously is now illegal.

A family member rented out a property to a couple in a different area to where they themselves live and knew nothing of drugs present until the police knocked their door one day to be told the property had been turned into a cannabis farm.

Walk into your local Police Station

So ableist!

THEY ARE SPIES!

@greenishredblue Yup, they definitely sound like they're dealing drugs OP (and the reason they can afford a nice new car is because they're paying heavily subsidised council rent - or housing benefit is.).
I've only read your posts, OP, so I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this, but stationary idling is an offence under Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The act enforces Rule 123 of the Highway Code, that states: “You must not leave a vehicle's engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road.” Local authorities can issue fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for engine idling if a driver refuses to switch off the engine, so if I were you, I would suggest to your neighbour that they report the couple to the council for causing unnecessary pollution (your neighbours should video them doing this at different times of the day and night to provide the council with evidence).

I used to live on a council estate with a reputation for drugs etc and you should have seen some of the cars owned by people living there. Had plenty of money coming in from somewhere.

Do you understand just how wrong that is? How much damage you could do? Unless you’re cooking vast numbers of pipers, there’s no way you need a couple of handfuls of salt. They’ll be completely overseasoned. They may be reasonably hardy little things but you still need to give them a fighting chance 😠

My own personal recommendation for the car idlers is a catapult off eBay and a couple of boxes of eggs. They’ll never see it coming. You could set up a tournament with the neighbours.

Lol easier ways to do it

I’d hang a speaker from a nearby tree and play My Heart Will Go On at full blast on a loop (warn the other neighbours first). That would drive them mad 😊

There's always someone who wants to create beef.

Get a ring doorbell and security cameras at the front of your house.

OP said she saw a person collecting a package..

Well they’re not very good at it!

It's called idling and it's a road offense.. Ask police to pop round.

So not only are they inconsiderate, anti social jerks....they are also stupid beyond belief... Clearly doing something illegal yet being rude to the neighbours. I can understand them using the car to hide the fact they're handing over dodgy packages but totally baffled why they need the engine running....aside from the fact they're going to ruin their engine keeping it idling for so long..

See here op..

Interesting. You think council rents are heavily subsidised and that's how they can afford a nice car, not from drug dealing. Many so called councils have handed over their housing stock to associations, and while the rents are lower they're not as low as you might think.

Could they be 'cooking' drugs and need to clear out of the house to escape the chemical processes and noxious fumes?

Definitely report to the police. Nobody in their right mind sits in a car all night.

I know it’s a bit off topic but does anyone remember that thread from years and years ago with the couple sitting in their car all day every day. Don’t think they had the engine running though. The OP kept us updated every day on their activities. Annoyingly I can’t remember what happened in the end!

I would probably get a ring doorbell but hide it in a window and record what’s going on. Then you can report to police. Job done.

Now you have seen that surely it gives you more reason to phone the police and report it? Drug activity going on right outside is more likely to get a response than "idling"

@greenishredblue have you thought about just phoning the police and reporting a suspicious car watching the house for hours on end??