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Original poster

Would you report your neighbours?

140 replies

BadlyDrawnSimpsonsCharacter · 22/10/2020 23:17

Sorry, another Covid-related thread.

Intrigued to see what the general consensus is on here, especially those of you who are under or are about to go under Tier 3.

If you saw your neighbours with someone in their garden, who you know are not occupants of the house (one, two, ten people, it doesn't matter) would you report them? Or would you leave them to it and crack on with your own business?

Whenever I've had conversations in real life it seems very 50/50, so I'm intrigued to see what the people of Mumsnet think.

OP posts:
PetNameChange · 23/10/2020 07:49

No...

Mainly because I don’t have any neighbours to report closest being a 1/2 mile

Also I have no interest in doing so, the rules are a bloody joke. Bojo and his cronies have lost all my respect and trust (not that they had much to begin with) and live on another planet, they have zero clue

WaterOffADucksCrack · 23/10/2020 07:56

No because I'm not interested in turning this country into Nazi Germany. It's all too similar to the Stasi, spying on and reporting neighbours.

Port1aCastis · 23/10/2020 08:07

No, because I'm not a snitch and anyway how many police officers are there, they should be dealing with serious crimes not one neighbour ratting on another. Divide and rule is certainly working and this is not occupied France in WW2 when neighbours snitched on each other to the Nazis

ItsAlwaysSunnyOnMN · 23/10/2020 08:09

No

I have no idea what is going on in their lives.

Bookriddle · 23/10/2020 08:10

Not a chance, we are in isolation at the moment, im type 1 diabetic and needed insulin the other day, i couldnt go and pick my my prescription up and my neighbour offered to do it for me!

Not a chance i wiuld report him

Whammyyammy · 23/10/2020 08:14

No, as they're you're neighbour and you have to live there

Drbrowns · 23/10/2020 08:15

No. Absolutely not. I follow the rules but I don’t live in a police state and I’m not going to start reporting neighbours if they don’t.

Sunshineandmoonlight · 23/10/2020 08:23

I wouldn’t, unless I knew the circumstances. There are a bunch of exemptions to the rules, working in the home (childcare and trades people).

I probably wouldn’t anyway unless I really disliked my neighbour

Redwrecker · 23/10/2020 08:25

Nope. I think the only thing I would consider reporting is if I knew someone had come up positive and was out and about. But I would have to be 100% sure they were positive (they told me, for example). Of courze, anyone behaving like a numpty would be sliding firmly down in my estimation.

I wonder if it will happen to my mum - she’s still allowed to provide childcare for my brother, in her home, so there will be pick ups. I am also single and living alone so am able to bubble with her, so will be in and out at times. Feel like we all need stamps on our head dictating what we are allowed to do these days 😩

Original poster
BadlyDrawnSimpsonsCharacter · 23/10/2020 08:57

@Lifeisabeach09

In those circumstances, definitely not. Tier 3 logic is interesting. Up to 6 people can sit in the park together, persons (not sure up to how many) can still go to the pub for dinner but you can't have 1 person in your garden. Hmmm.
This is what I don't understand!
OP posts:
Mo81 · 23/10/2020 08:58

No id mind my own buisness. They are adults can make there own choices and know the risks. You also have no idea why they were there.

Original poster
BadlyDrawnSimpsonsCharacter · 23/10/2020 09:01

As far-fetched as it sounds I have to agree with those of you comparing the current situation to Nazi Germany. Ratting on neighbours etc.

Feels very nanny-state at the moment.

I agree that I'd report an obvious house party but not a few people sat in a garden - especially when those same few people could meet in a park! Things just aren't adding up; the world has gone mad.

OP posts:
ChasingRainbows19 · 23/10/2020 09:05

I back on to lots of older people ( our gardens are short so easy to see) who have had grandkids/their own kids in the garden. This hasn’t been allowed in my area for months. Not full blown parties just a visit. This is safer than them being inside or out and about. My next door neighbours also had an odd visitors maybe occasionally but haven’t recently but I’m not home all the time or at the window.

I wouldn’t even dream of reporting anything like that. We don’t know people’s circumstances and this has gone on for months so I can reason with odd rule breakages for our own sanity

If someone was being ridiculous with full blown party, loads of people no distancing etc then I’d be tempted. There’s no need for that kind of gathering in a pandemic.

bravotango · 23/10/2020 09:05

Now if they were playing loud, bad, intrusive music, I would. I'll mind my own business until they make it my business.

Yep - same.

DeliciouslyFemale · 23/10/2020 09:07

@BadlyDrawnSimpsonsCharacter

As far-fetched as it sounds I have to agree with those of you comparing the current situation to Nazi Germany. Ratting on neighbours etc.

Feels very nanny-state at the moment.

I agree that I'd report an obvious house party but not a few people sat in a garden - especially when those same few people could meet in a park! Things just aren't adding up; the world has gone mad.

It reminds me of the days of internment, in Northern Ireland. Tell the police that you suspect your neighbour or any other person you don’t like, is up to no good, even if you’ve absolutely no evidence. It doesn’t matter if the accusations are true or not, you’ve done your bit and the state will do the rest.
LuaDipa · 23/10/2020 09:09

I wouldn’t. My neighbours behaviour doesn’t affect me in the slightest and I don’t know their personal circumstances. My dm is tier 3 and I will be respecting the rules unless there is some sort of unforeseen emergency. I would be devastated to be reported for helping my dm in the event of a fall for example (which has happened, but luckily before all of this).

I sincerely hope that these new measures don’t bring about a return of the spying and judging if people don’t clap every Thursday that we saw during actual lockdown.

bloodywhitecat · 23/10/2020 09:13

I am in a position where I might need the love and support of friends as DP goes into hospital on Monday for major surgery and he is likely to be in for a rough ride for a few days at least. He has pancreatic cancer. I will be at home, alone save for two babies both under a year old, and he'll be 90 minutes away and I am going to be unable to visit him on the whole. If I need support and someone reported me it would possibly push me over the edge.

I wouldn't be reporting anyone for having friends or family in their garden.

ChasingRainbows19 · 23/10/2020 09:17

Don’t understand why people still can’t see why covid spreads easily in homes?! You are naturally closer together, spending more time as comfortable in smaller rooms. It’s more naturally less distanced.

Great if you distance and are careful etc but so many are not or forget themselves after a drink or two and if you are under 2m for more than 15 minutes of a covid contact you can catch it. You won’t always know you have the bloody virus.

I’ve eaten out a few times and we’ve been well distanced from anyone in a large space for an hour or two. Restaurants following guidelines well aren’t spreading it. No huge outbreaks in hospitality that I’ve heard of.
Households and education are as it’s being allowed to rip through schools with very little measures in place that work. Not a dig at school staff, they’ve been left to deal with it.

Original poster
BadlyDrawnSimpsonsCharacter · 23/10/2020 09:18

@bloodywhitecat that's awful to hear about your DP - if you were my neighbour I'd be offering to help you out in any way I could.
Really hope you as a family pull through this difficult time Flowers

OP posts:
BogRollBOGOF · 23/10/2020 09:19

@bravotango

Now if they were playing loud, bad, intrusive music, I would. I'll mind my own business until they make it my business.

Yep - same.

That's about my threshold. Outside is about 300x less risk than indoors, unless you've rammed yourselves in so you're in each other's faces.

Generally, I'm live and let live. I'd rather be inside DM's house in Tier 2, because forcing her to hang around outside at 82 will at least cause her arthritis significant discomfort for several days. Following the rules will be guarenteed to cause her mild harm, and does not eliminate the risks of other harms like Covid. It's better to just be careful with spacing in her home. I'm not putting arbitary rules ahead of her welfare.

I don't want to inhibit people's right to a family life, or see a modest sized group of friends. If they are slightly over the limits, I have no beef with that. One family unit should be permitted to see another family unit.

It's a moot point really. One set of neighbours are elderly. The other are a pleasant sensible family. Neither of which are likely to have overcrowded anti-social parties that exceed my threshold.

Kolsch · 23/10/2020 09:20

No I wouldn't.
I have a good relationship with my neighbours and I intend on keeping it that way.

Eesha · 23/10/2020 22:49

I'm a bit worried to go to my partners house in case anyone reports us.

SufferingFromLongLockdown · 23/10/2020 22:52

Absolutely not. What my neighbours choose to do in their own homes and gardens is none of my business.

CrappleUmble · 23/10/2020 22:53

I get the impression a lot of the touting that's been done has been for the sort of gathering that previously would've got reported for noise, before all this.

Ecosse · 23/10/2020 23:01

I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to report anyone seen browsing the book or duvet aisles in Tesco to the police.