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

I understand you perfectly. That neighbour was probably burning junk. We have a similar guy next door, he once lit a fire and it was snowing black ashes in the whole street. We weren't home but found our garden furniture ruined by black sticky flakes. There was a lot of protest and now he doesn't light fires anymore. Where I live (Flanders, Belgium) bonfires are forbidden for environmental reasons. The fines are really heavy, so yes that works.

Years ago, when terry nappies were the norm, I’d got a washing line full of beautiful white, brand new nappies that I had laundered in readiness for my baby which was due literally within a couple of weeks…….and my NDN, who had watched me peg out those nappies, lit a bonfire! He was burning damp leaves, old rotten timber and bloody bicycle tyres!!!!

It happens where I live every single year so I really feel your frustration. It’s so bloody selfish! It’s really bad for our health and airways too, especially for young children. I don’t even understand how it’s aloud in an area with lots of houses

You'd think that bonfires would be illegal ffs. What total wankers!

My Dad always said if you were going to do a bonfire, it should be in the evening.

That's so selfish and inconsiderate of them. It makes me appreciate my lovely neighbours who always knock on our door to let us know they are having a BBQ so we don't put any washing out.

It might be worth asking that they let the neighbours know for next time.

It's not that they are odd but they are, like so many people now, totally selfish

https://www.northdevon.gov.uk/environment/statutory-nuisance/bonfires-and-smoke-nuisance

Surely the unhinged angry bloke will have already reported them!

I’m not totally anti bonfires, if you’re a gardener sometimes they’re very necessary BUT the considerate thing to do is wait until dusk, and then you stay out monitoring it until it’s out, bedtime be damned. It’s the height of selfishness to light one during daylight hours

Maybe you can get the annoying power washing neighbour from another thread to come douse the flames!

We get this issue periodically from a neighbour. I wish they would ban bonfires in residential gardens. It's totally unacceptable and unnecessary when there are green bins for recycling green waste.

I’m boiling with rage on your behalf 😡

A neighbour of mine who's left now thank God threw maggots in my dustbin and those of other neighbours in summer which turned into flies. Used his next door neighbour's wall as a urinal. Threw garden rubbish over someone else's wall. Threw whole bread slices out of his window like frisbees "for the birds" and attracted rats. Cleared snow away from behind his car and piled it up at the back of mine. When someone saw him and said that's not fair on Joan, he said he didn't care. Everyone hated him.

He used to leave his t-shirts and underpants drying outside. He didn't have a camera or a ring doorbell haha! Itching powder found its way into socks, pants and tshirts. His front door mat grew mustard and cress.

Go and have a poo on their doorstep

We’ve got some repeat offenders locally. They were even lighting bonfires during the heatwave last year, when everyone had washing out and windows open. It’s such odd behaviour, and the weird thing is, they’re really lovely people in every other way which makes it even harder to understand, somehow.

@BettyBoh That reminds me of my dad going ballistic once. We lived at the bottom of an avenue and we had a stone wall dividing our garden from another house that was on a different road. My dad went bonkers and got a hosepipe out and put out a bonfire that they'd made - late on Christmas Day morning.

My mother's second husband was an ignorant fucker who set a large bonfire mid afternoon on a summers day.
Cue an angry mum from a few doors up our path where they shouted & swore at each for some time. She stomped off & 10 mins later a fire engine turned up and put his fire out 😂😂 his face was a picture.
He got a bollocking for the stuff he was burning & that was the only uncontained fire had.
He did buy a metal bin for burning shit in for the next house though....

This pisses me off SO much.
Most weekends during the summer I can't put my washing out on the line as the arseholes at the allotment behind me have a bonfire all freaking day. Selfish fuckers.

In some places bonfires are against a local byelaw. You could check it out and if it applies to your area, let them know, and tell them how inconvenient threy made it for you and all your neighbours. Are they locals? Sounds like new arrivals maybe.

It's selfish as fuck when EVERYONE else who lives in the area has been waiting desperately for a nice day ... only for the selfish arsehole to ruin it for everyone by having a bonfire. Laundry ruined; windows have to be closed; garden time shot. Selfish.

You're not supposed to make bonfires, whilst it is light out, do they are BU. I actually think that's likely the reason people still have a lingering apprehension about leaving washing out overnight, even when no chance of a bonfire. That and the spider peens, obviously.

We can't just burn stuff anymore @Playingvideogames call the local authority. No doubt they too would like to get out in the sun and might jump at the chance to pay a visit.

Garden fires and burning household and garden waste is illegal in Ireland, wonder is it an EU directive? Off to google

Our local council is really hot on this. One neighbour has a gardener every Tuesday who then burned all the lawn/hedge clippings from that day - and the smoke was horrendous. I contacted the council, sent a video in from our back garden and they sent a letter out to the house owner. When it carried on, I rang them and they went out in person to be a bit more forceful about it. Hasn't happened again since, and I always report other people for lighting them.

It's horribly toxic and unnecessary when we all have a garden waste bin provided by the council emptied fortnightly. In fact, the village FB page is quite active with people offering half filled bins to fill up the night before collection.

I feel for you OP! You're not allowed to burn rubbish or garden waste here because we're bushfire prone & fire is tightly controlled. However, for some indescribable reason people are allowed fire pits.

My neighbour would light theirs up on a Saturday afternoon. It ruined all our drying washing and we'd have to close doors & turn on air con in 30+ degree heat. They've moved now thankfully.

DN17 was saying at Xmas that they (nasty little voice) 'can't use their fire pit anymore because the neighbour behind them complained'. I shot back that I wasn't surprised as the fire pit isn't near their house (big block), but you've put it at the back of your block near the neighbours & they have the smell all through their house and washing. Put it near your back door instead of you want one. No response.....