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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to report repeated emergency call-outs at new neighbours' house?

149 replies

Chickpeaqueen · 01/06/2026 21:58

I can't work out if I'm being unreasonable, but I'm feeling a bit unnerved. We had new neighbours move in a few weeks ago. Since then we've had an emergency service at their house practically everyday. One night the police and a taxi woke us all up over an unpaid taxi fare, which lasted an hour. The next night we were woken by police doing what sounded like hammering a door down inside. A few days later a fire engine was outside at midnight ....various police car and ambulances on and off throughout the past week or so. Today a fire engine has been sat directly outside my house for four hours, blocking the road. The police have been there, with another ambulance. Took about five hours for everyone to leave. I asked the firemen if everything was alright and they simply replied 'yes' although I'm sure I heard them mention knives. It's not very pleasant for your kids to arrive home from school and find a fire engine and four firemen standing directly outside their house. A friend who works for housing has suggested reporting it to the council, but I'm not sure if I want to be that person. But equally, I also don't want to keep being woken up at night and it's starting to put me off letting the kids go out on their own. I imagine it's to do with mental health, which I sympathise with but it still doesn't take away the impact it's having. Is it unreasonable to report it?

OP posts:
Penkie · 01/06/2026 23:53

I think you have reason to be upset about this, and you're hardly being hysterical as you write, so I believe you when you say it's uncomfortable for you.

Are you woken by the noise of the emergency services or by their lights? If it's the latter, can you sort out some blackouts at the front or get hold of a screen?
Getting you to pile out of your house in the night does sound a bit extreme, like there's explosive materials involved.
Maybe the occupants are having trouble adjusting to the upheaval of a move and new home. It's early days for them, but if after a month it's the same thing, then I think you need to think how to stop it by seeking support from somewhere.

MsGreying · 01/06/2026 23:54

The family will almost certainly be the subject of numerous meetings at the local council involving the other services.

Divebar2021 · Yesterday 00:07

The problem is not the emergency services attending so much as the obvious behaviour that’s necessitating the call outs. It sounds pretty serious and since it’s a range of services ( not just the same one) probably a range of issues. I’m sure no one would want to be living next door to someone getting battered or dealing drugs or mental health problems whatever they may say on here. At the moment though it seems the behaviour is contained within the house and it’s only the emergency services themselves that are causing disruption. If I was in the same HA or knew someone there that I could have a conversation with then I’d likely call them and say “ look I know you can’t tell me anything but we’re being disturbed by all these call outs “ then they can at least see that other residents are being disturbed. I would warn you though that they might be tempted to tell the family that neighbours were complaining so you may want to hold back until such time as you know what the anti social behaviour is.

Dancingsquirrels · Yesterday 00:14

Someone fitted a key box outside the house a week or so before they arrived so I'm guessing they don't own the house

@Chickpeaqueen key boxes tend to be for (1) holiday houses or (2) to allow carers to access a property if the tenant cannot / will not answer the door. In your case, I'd guess the latter

It must be difficult and I do sympathise. But I guess everyone has to live somewhere? No easy solutions, unfortunately

youalright · Yesterday 00:23

I think you should ring the police and complain about them attending an incident in your street then come back and tell us how that goes

KnittyKnotty · Yesterday 00:36

Yes, report it, definitely report it.....

999, Ring Ring, Ring Ring....

[OP] Hello Police?

[PC Plod] Yes..how can I help?

[OP] I would like to report several recent incidents at my neighbours, its all very worrying. I've seen lots of Police 😱. I don't know what's going on and no one will tell me, I'm just left here clutching my pearls.

[PC Plod] 🤔 Thanks for reporting this, it's the first we've heard about it, thank god you called when you did, we'll send someone straight away....

Itiswhysofew · Yesterday 00:43

I'd report it to the housing association and let them know of the disruption.

suki1964 · Yesterday 00:50

Key boxes are used here by care agencies , so they can get into the house

Im assuming its older parents caring for a SEN young adult and its getting harder for them

When caring for family with SN, due to SEN, Alzheimers , all sorts, the emergency services can be called a lot

One long night in A&E with my step dad ( for whom I often had to call for an ambulance due to falls or him just stating his heart was giving him gyp ) waiting for an X-ray , talking to another daughter with her dad, both her parents had Alzheimers and they ( the parents ) would often be ringing 999 saying they were being kept locked in against their will, were being abused, all sorts of madness

If the ES didnt attend , and something untoward was happening, the uproar

Dont be jumping to conclusions, meet the neighbours and find out what's happening in their lives that causes this disturbance to you

Watdidusay · Yesterday 00:50

We had an almost identical issue with a neighbour with MH issues. We ended up moving out. Individual is still there years later, still having periods of regular emergency service call outs. Sometimes they are a risk to others in the building.
Had a conversation with the police and fire service when they were in front of our flat there years ago - they were exasperated and said everyone including mental health team and social services knew about this problem and no one was able to do anything about it.

DontShoutInMyEarholeTracey · Yesterday 00:52

Hare5260 · 01/06/2026 22:01

What exactly are you going to report? If emergency services are being called to your new neighbours home every day then the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub will undoubtedly already be aware…

Exactly this!

NameChangeMay2026 · Yesterday 01:05

I would wait and see if things settle down. Sounds like someone might have dementia.

SkySmiler · Yesterday 01:31

Chickpeaqueen · 01/06/2026 22:24

They probably wouldn't like it quite so much if they had to get out of bed at 1.30 in the morning like last week, when people were asked to leave their houses due to whatever was going on in this particular house. There's excitement, and then there's a real nuisance.

What was the reason given for evacuation

Tortoisel · Yesterday 01:47

Mental thread.

I am not really understanding the response here. Of course this is distressing for OP.

If it was me next time something happens I would march outside and get someone to talk to me about what is going on. Tell them you cannot live like this and the unknown is worse than whatever they are going to say so can someone please just tell me what’s happening. Be nice about it but firm and do not let it drop. If it doesn’t work. Repeat and repeat. Someone will tell you eventually and then when armed with that knowledge you can then decide what you should do.

ConstantlyFuriosa · Yesterday 02:07

Dancingsquirrels · Yesterday 00:14

Someone fitted a key box outside the house a week or so before they arrived so I'm guessing they don't own the house

@Chickpeaqueen key boxes tend to be for (1) holiday houses or (2) to allow carers to access a property if the tenant cannot / will not answer the door. In your case, I'd guess the latter

It must be difficult and I do sympathise. But I guess everyone has to live somewhere? No easy solutions, unfortunately

Or to allow new tenants access.

MsAmerica · Yesterday 02:10

Report them to whom, and for what?
It's not illegal to have an emergency.
If something illegal is going on, presumably there will be an arrest.

tellmesomethingtrue · Yesterday 02:21

I would be fucked off with this too.

AlgaeDreams · Yesterday 02:33

Chickpeaqueen · 01/06/2026 23:07

Ummmm....because all the houses where we live that have the same key box are owned by agencies, so it's not a wild assumption to make.

Or... They enable a carer to enter the house if the occupier is ill, disabled, elderly, infirm...

Why were you asked to leave your home in the middle of the night?

badfinger · Yesterday 02:36

Gosh, so many cold, censorious posts on this thread.

Nobody wants their sleep disrupted or their children frightened night after night.

notanothernamechange24 · Yesterday 02:47

Chickpeaqueen · 01/06/2026 23:07

Ummmm....because all the houses where we live that have the same key box are owned by agencies, so it's not a wild assumption to make.

Ummmmm lots of people have key safes for all manner of reasons. It in no way suggests a housing association!

Topseyt123 · Yesterday 02:54

Chickpeaqueen · 01/06/2026 23:07

Ummmm....because all the houses where we live that have the same key box are owned by agencies, so it's not a wild assumption to make.

Wrong. My elderly mother owns her house. There is a keysafe outside so that her carers can get in to look after her several times a day.

Who are you intending to report to? All agencies seem to already be involved in whatever the problems are.

I see plenty of threads where someone asks should they "report" someone for something. It's never clear who they would report it to.

EmeraldShamrock000 · Yesterday 02:55

They sound like an absolute nightmare, yes, definitely report them to the housing association. There should be a large holding pen for antisocial tenants who bring down the whole area. It’s not easy living beside lunatics.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they were moved on from their last place.

ThatBlackCat · Yesterday 03:06

Chickpeaqueen · 01/06/2026 22:24

They probably wouldn't like it quite so much if they had to get out of bed at 1.30 in the morning like last week, when people were asked to leave their houses due to whatever was going on in this particular house. There's excitement, and then there's a real nuisance.

You really should have put this in your first post, OP. The responses in the thread would have been much different.

Winter2020 · Yesterday 03:09

I for one am very sorry for what you are going through. I would also be upset and frightened. We want to feel like our kids are safe in their beds and safe coming and going from their house and you don't know if they are.

I would try to find out what you can e.g. speaking to the neighbours or if you see anyone from the house that looks approachable.

To be honest I'd want to move away. That might not be easy for you but I would think about it and whether it is possible.

HoppingPavlova · Yesterday 03:11

I’m torn. Yes, it does sound distressing to be constantly disturbed like this, but on the other hand it’s how you frame it and particularly to children.

When I was young, a neighbours son had schizophrenia. Neighbour was an elderly widower, moved in after death of wife with adult son. This was several decades ago when there were no meds for schizophrenia (although even with the range of modern and new gen meds there is still a sizeable cohort who are pharmacologically treatment resistant). The son often had episodes involving constant various emergency services, and knives were often involved. The poor old father was often black and blue, black eyes etc from physically trying to manage him during an episode or fighting him off when the son thought he was the devil or whatnot. The son would often be carted off to a mental institution for a few months, and would then return.

As neighbours, this was disturbing, however, the best thing my parents taught me, as a child, was that this was absolutely nothing compared to what that poor old man was going through with a son he must have loved so much but could do nothing to help and how both of their suffering was so much greater than the disturbance to others. That was something I have never forgotten and have taken with me professionally (healthcare) and personally, through the rest of my life.

Just as a postscript, at one point, neighbours had not seen elderly man for a few days so called police for welfare check. He had died in the house, police at the scene thought it looked likely of natural causes in bed - they stood and gossiped with neighbours back in the day, not the privacy issues we have now. They had to get what was the equivalent of a swat team back in the day, to get in to see/remove the dad as the son wouldn’t let anyone in and was armed. Heartbreaking stuff. Son was taken away, never saw him again, and after several months of the house standing empty, it was put up for sale and new neighbours.

badfinger · Yesterday 03:25

ThatBlackCat · Yesterday 03:06

You really should have put this in your first post, OP. The responses in the thread would have been much different.

Did you not read the first post? There were multiple examples of disturbances, being woken at night by police and fire engines, etc, including at midnight.