How can this be allowed?

[BadAmbassador]

This is my very first AIBU!

I’m afraid I’m turning into THAT neighbour - help 🤣

I live in a quiet residential street, houses with families, houses on my side are quite close to the road ie not far back at the end of a long drive.

11.15 this evening, really loud engine/mechanical noise started up outside my house, across the street. The kind of noise that would wake you up if you were asleep.

Looking outside - there’s a big van with the side door open, engine running, interior bright light on, man inside doing something to a tyre on a very noisy piece of equipment.

Evidently he’s repairing someone’s car tyre in situ (as posed to them taking it to a garage), so an emergency call out service for people who don’t have a spare tyre.

I went outside to see what was happening because it was so loud. Gave man in van a very hard stare which he ignored for quite a while 🤣 He carried on another 10 mins or so, eventually seemed to realise I was still there and turned off the noisy machine - he’d left it going while he was fiddling with the tyre. Engine still running of course. So 15 minutes of very loud, intrusive noise - like having roadworks outside your house at night when you’re in bed.

Is that acceptable? It’s not a busy high street with loads of traffic noise, it’s not a main road or a motorway. I know you can’t help where you break down but surely there are bye laws about loud noise after 11pm and this is just really inconsiderate?

it wasn’t a lone woman driver being helped btw it was a man. He stood and had a loud chat with the mechanic in the middle of the road before driving off - cheers for that, now know exactly where the mechanic is based 🤣

Is it me? Why is it me? 😭

I saw curtains twitching but I was the only one who went out - if he hadn’t finished the job when he did I would have gone over to say something. And I’m small, shy and non confrontational but this was Very Annoying!

However I HAVE reached the age/life stage of not giving a fuck 🤣

I dunno, what’s normal behaviour any more? One person’s convenience for a street full of people having a broken night’s sleep? Woken babies?

Storm in a tea-cup? Shut up and put up? Angry mob with pitch forks?

Help me Mumsnet! 🤣

Utterly unacceptable - YANBU! I'd have been livid!

Someone needed an emergency tyre repair - I doubt they did it to piss you off. An emergency means it needs to happen now, regardless of the time of day or night. Why would you give someone delivering a service a Paddington Bear stare when they were literally doing what they were paid for? No one is allowed to have emergencies late at night?

Slightly annoying, but wasn't that late and sounds like an emergency and a one off, not sure it's that big a deal.

Im quite sure your neighbour didnt choose to have a puncture at night to annoy the neighbours.

Youre too late you ARE that neighbour. Going outside to give the repair man the evil eye was un necessary

Ok majority suggesting I am unreasonable, fair enough!

I’m not a driver so don’t find myself in this situation, and wasn’t aware of this service.

Is it an actual emergency? Fair enough if that’s how people view it - I hadn’t come across this before.

I can't believe you went out and just started at someone for over ten minutes. That's insane behaviour.

It was a one off, these things happen, not even very late, so really not a problem.

Well given that there are noise laws in the UK and restrictions on how late noisy work can be done, no, the OP wasn’t being unreasonable. The flat tyre should have waited until morning or quietly switched out for a spare like every other flat tyre in the UK at night. Or are you going to weave us a tale that the poor neighbour was an on call surgeon with no spare tyre and access to a taxi?!

I'd have just let it go as a one off emergency situation. I can't imagine it's going to be something that happens often -if ever again -at this hour of the night.

Thank you for understanding!

@Negroany Started? I didn’t start anything - I looked and he ignored me. I think that’s acceptable?

I called out an emergency tyre service recently, I had a full flat with two kids in the car and no spare. Thankfully it was not nighttime or a residential area but if it was then I suppose I’d be this person, potentially. I’d be embarrassed to be making that noise but wouldn’t have had other other options.

Clearly the poster meant 'stared'.

I agree with them - standing and silently staring at them for quite a while? You probably looked like a loon and I bet they still didn't give a fuck.

You're already 'that' person op.

🤣 Oh yes of course stared - sorry.

It was dark, I was on the other side of the road - I think I looked like someone coming out to see what the noise was 🤷🏻‍♀️

And I already know they didn’t give a fuck, thanks anyway.

Yes very true! I wasn’t sure what I was looking at for a while.

I mean I was being very light hearted about saying something to him (also just venting on here) - I would have probably asked very nicely how much longer he was going to be. I’ve made myself sound like a shouty, nosey troublemaker - nothing could be further from the truth 🤣 I’m actually very nice!

My car doesn't have a spare, so not "every other car".

Yes, sorry, that was a typo for "stared".

It’s absolutely unacceptable but I’d have said something, rather than just standing around staring.

They should have been doing whatever they could to minimise the noise, but a flat when you have no spare - as many many cars now don't - is a something that needs fixed right away or they can't get home.

Hmm… I can see how this would be annoying, but I don’t think that it would be classed as antisocial behaviour, and it isn’t a regular occurrence, so you wouldn’t have any formal right to complaint. I mean, you could have gone out and shouted at the bloke if you wanted, but he may well have simply told you piss off and mind your own business.

A one-off emergency tyre repair. Call the police. I’m sure the would love a laugh. What utter drama over a one-off incident where I’d just be relieved I wasn’t the poor driver vs being annoyed.

Presumably they could get a taxi, which would be the more polite thing to do.

It’s not an ambulance. It doesn’t need to be fixed right away.

@HoppingPavlova
Who said anything about police? 🤣🤣
Yep, I’ve said a couple of times now I realise I AM being unreasonable.
Which is what I came here to ask, so now I know.

👏

Hardly any cars come with a spare tyre nowadays. So it doesnt matter if it's a surgeon, a bricklayer, a retail worker, healthcare worker, nursery nurse or supermarket worker.
If they need to get to work in the morning, they need that repair service.

Yes that's annoying and technically it probably isn't allowed. There are quite strict limits to how much noise can be made after 11pm if I recall rightly.
However, as a one off and only for 15 mins I don't think I would say or do anything. I don't suppose the neighbour wants to be in this position any more than you do and if they need their car in the morning it's going to need to be done either late at night or early in the morning. Personally I'd rather be disturbed at 11.15pm than say 6am.
If it was a recurrent problem you could complain to the council but it's not likely to be a frequent occurrence is it? I'd probably have made myself a hot drink and gone back to bed muttering to myself about the noise but in reality have forgotten about it by morning. Yes, it's a bit of nuisance and I'd have been annoyed about being woken up too. In fact I'm a bit annoyed about being awake right now as next door's car alarm went off, but that's life and I certainly wouldn't want to fall out with my neighbours over it.