about noise and smoke

[lazylion]

I spent most of today seething with anger because an ice-cream van runs his very loud engine outside my house for an hour every day (I live opposite a school) and my neighbour keeps burning things in his garden (not wood) resulting in huge clouds of smoke stinking my house out. Both things happened at the same time today and I am 27 weeks pregnant and knackered. Are these normal inconveniences that should be ignored or is my seething justified?

what's he burning?

sounds suspicious

YABU, ignore, not worth getting wound up about. Shut your windows so there is no smoke coming in the house and buy an ice-cream to cheer yourself up! Then eat it with i-pod in

Probably normal, but of course it makes you feel rough.

Maybe you could buy an ice cream and chat to the guy about parking further along some of the time?

It may be that because you are pregnant you are more easily annoyed. Although having said that both of these things would annoy me, however, I would try put up with them if they were a one off or not regular occurence. If they happened every day I wouldn't be very happy.

Is every day captainpeacock - the ice-cream van anyway. Why does he need to do it for an hour when the children are out of school & gone in 10 minutes? I could not speak to him Grandad, I might kill him (now that is BU).
No idea what the neighbour is burning pointydog, he is just out of my eyeline. Bits of paper fly about but it smells like rubber / plastic. Sometimes he does it at night. He plays Oasis or Rod Stewart whilst doing said burning. I have old wooden windows Ewe, very leaky.
I can see that I am trying to convince you that I am not BU.

Well in that case I definitely don't think you ABU. However, I have absolutely no idea how to deal with it as I am awful at dealing with confrontations.

My neighbour used to fix bikes for cash in his back garden. The grinding noise and the revving was unbearabe, not to mention the fumes all over my washing. I spoke to him but to no avail.

One day, when I was about 7 months pregnant, in a fit of rage with him and the noise I phned the council. He was a council tennant and they did a home visit and its calmed him down a lot. The council said his behaviour was anti social - maybe this is a route you could follow?

I know it seems extreme, but when I was pregnant I was concerned about the situation being even worse with a newborn around.

The burning thing is bad for your health, plain and simple. It leaks through even double glazed windows and I agree, stinks. It would upset me and I would be more concerned about a baby. You can complain to the council and it could be any of your neighbours.

Same with the Ice Cream Van, complain to the school about the noise. There is no need to play the tune for an hour.

Thanks Lofty & captainpeacock, I called the council about the ice cream van and what he is doing is legal (god help us all). When I finally snap I think I will stand next to his van with a child in my arms and cry - then see how many mothers buy his ice-creams.
Yes you are right Confuzzeled, if he keeps burning when the baby is here I will have to do something other than cry and seethe. I tried the school about the van but they ignored me.
I think I wanted you to tell me I was BU then I could try and rise above it all - but now I am not BU I will have to do something constructive. Bah.

I ended up in A&E recently with my 2 year old dd as our neighbour had lit a fire right outside our daughters bedroom window, which had filled her room with smoke. He was burning carpet, plastic and house hold rubbish!! Lucky we went to check on her and turn out the light or it would have been a lot worse.

Council told us it is only illegal to burn cables or tyres in your back garden... So there is nothing you can do about the fire next door!!!! Even the council said it was bloody stupid!!

Oh no, poor you and daughter bumps. Stupid laws all around and stupid neighbours. I have to move next year so I will be looking for something in the middle of a field, even if it is a caravan.

I know what you mean I wish I could afford a place with no neighbours.....

Cough Cough, have more sympathy for you today. My neighbour is burning garden waste in the rain. I have closed all the windows (double glazed) and the wee vents and it's still stinking. I'm 30 weeks pregnant and it's making me feel so sick.

No neighbours please.