To feel almost murderous rage at my inconsiderate neighbours

[Playingvideogames]

I live in Devon. I’m not joking when I say it’s been raining solidly (and I mean solidly) for 45 days now. We are the worst hit area in the country, massively flooded, haven’t seen the light of day really since Christmas. It’s been bloody awful.

Today I wake up to a gorgeous blue sky and think… WASHING!!! And everyone on the estate clearly has the same idea - lots of full washing lines everywhere. Our first chance to dry clothes outside since October!

Not only that but twice a year or so I wash all my sofa cushion covers. They’re stiff fabric so it takes 3 loads, but I finally got them all done by 2pm and popped out.

I’ve just come back and some arsehole a couple of houses away has only gone and lit a massive bloody bonfire. Fucking why???? All my washing is ruined and stinks, including the sofa cushions. My neighbours must feel similarly. The first beautiful day in months, and outside reeks and is making my eyes water.

AIBU to think while it’s not illegal (as no doubt I will be told!) this is the height of arseholery, and who the fuck has a bonfire when it isn’t November 5th???

Arghhhhh

Oh yes! And I have lived next door to most of them.

Do they give you asthma, make your eyes water, cause your clothes/hair/washing/house to smell?

I dont know. I always dry my clothes inside the house. Why the need to dry them outside?

I actually quite like the smell of wood smoke, for a few minutes. But not when it’s gone stale after a day or two and clinging to everything!

Firstly they dry quicker due to the breeze. Secondly so they don’t make your house smell damp. Thirdly so they don’t create mould issues. Fourthly so the clothes themselves smell breezy and fresh. Fifthly because you can get loads up on a rotary washing line, way more than on a rack in the living room. Sixthly because I bloody enjoy feeling the sun on my pasty face as I peg out washing. Seventhly because my house isn’t big enough for a load of dryers to be permanent features. Eighthly because my children and dog cannot reach, touch or rub against washing that has been hung up outside. Ninthly..

I dont know. In the good weather I always see people having barbecues. So if you put your clothes outside, its a risk that you are willing to take.

Allow me to disagree. 5th November bonfire and a few open fires in the fireplace in our living room are quite enough for us.

Another strong disagree. Bonfires in close proximity of neighbours is just rude inconsiderate.

I feel your pain. In the warmer weather when everyone has their washing out, our dickhead of a neighbour fires up his smoke belching BBQ nearly every day and it stinks. I don’t know what he cooks but it’s revolting and pollutes the washing. I’m so tempted to squirt the hose over the fence. One of my small pleasures in life is enjoying line dried clothes and sheets - can’t beat the fresh smell.

Peope dont care if they are inconsiderate. One of my neighbours used to do screaming karaoke for hours.

What about barbecues? Smoke from them wafts from one garden to another.

Bonfires in back gardens should be banned. End of! Solidarity OP

With people like that I always wonder whether it’s stupidity or spite. Do they do these things because they’re just too dim to understand the effect it is having? Or do they do it because they get a little kick out of hurting and upsetting others?

Right now, I can hear some vile little c*nt driving round and round our village in a modified car that screeches and bangs and explodes. Why?! Wtf is he doing it for? Does he like loud, backfiring sounds? Or does it amuse him to wake people up and ruin their evening? Or is it that he likes the attention?

Don't they have a letter box she could use?

With you, OP.

Perchance, was it mainly women who’d got the laundry out?

And a man who started the bonfire?

Manchester has a fairly useful EH department.if you can get hold of them they'll sort out bonfires. If you struggle to get hold of the EH then going via the councillor works.

I live in a (normally) very wet bit of the country so have to make the most of drying days. I have a neighbour who has done the same, in a terrace house with my washing clearly visible less than 2m away. I was furious too. I am glad another neighbour has gone berserk, your idiot neighbour could've waited till 4-5 pm for his bonfire as you're meant to.

I agree! I had a neighbour who was obsessed with fires. I didnt understand it, there’s more than enough recycling areas in my area. I would love to see bonfires banned.

I dont mind an oul fire. My neighbour who screamed sang karaoke in his shed every evening - now that did annoy me

i think bonfires should be banned in certain areas where housing density is high and gardens are small. I wouldn’t light one in my garden primarily because the garden isn’t that big and I’d be worried about burning my house down!
takign rubbish to the tip is a right pita so I can see why someone would be tempted to burn it, but it is selfish

Even then, as I have a small garden, I wouldn't-and even if I had a massive one, I would talk to the neighbours first! I thought they were introducing laws against garden fires? Maybe only in some areas, or maybe I'm misrembering.

That's really thoughtless of those neighbours. I very occasionally have a bonfire but I always check that there's no washing out and no neighbours out in their gardens. I wish people were less selfish and more considerate in general.

@Playingvideogames Some people burn waste instead of taking it to the dump. It's just pure fucking laziness.

Solidarity, OP, our twatty neighbours pulled the same trick on Sunday. First dry day for weeks and we had a washing line full of bedding etc, so perfect timing for the neighbours to start burning rubbish. Of course they do it right at the bottom of their garden, so the smoke is well away from their house but billowing into our garden and through our windows. The old man is obsessed with bonfires, I don't know why they can't just put their bloody rubbish in the wheely bin like everyone else manages to.

The legal situation is basically that you can ONLY burn garden waste

Ie no Treated Timber, Plastic, Horse bedding etc

If you think that a fire is a danger to people or property call the fire brigade - like the one next to someones fence

If the smoke is a danger to traffic call the Police, ditto if the person who lit it starts getting abusive

This same issue gave me the complete rage during lockdown. every fkin day neighbours on the next street whos back gardens backed onto ours had fires. I got totally fed up of not being able to put washing out and have windows open or sit in the garden without choking on smoke it was that bad.
In the end I reported it to the council and everyone in the neighbourhood recieved letters from the council telling them not to have fires. It did reduce the amount of fires luckily. People are very inconsiderate. If it happens regularly op report to the council as I did.