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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:
PetitFours · 23/10/2020 23:07

No because:

  1. I probably wouldn't notice
  2. It's none of my business
  3. I don't know anything about the circumstances
  4. Doesn't really bother me
  5. I'd rather not live in a society that informs on one another for tiny breaches of bullshit rules
TheGreatWave · 23/10/2020 23:49

Nope, given what the neighbours deal with from our house (very loud sweary ASD child) I would turn a blind eye to pretty much everything.

Jesscarbqueen87 · 23/10/2020 23:59

Absolutely not!

Tangledyarn · 24/10/2020 00:07

A couple of people no. A massive party maybe. I've not broken any 'rules' at all but imagine at somepoint I'll have a socially distanced cup of tea in someone's garden in the next few weeks to be honest.

Freshcoatofpaint · 24/10/2020 00:14

No definitely not. Bit stasi-esque all this talk of reporting...

RedToothBrush · 24/10/2020 00:45

Past caring at this point.

Reporting them isn't going to achieve anything unless its a mass full on party.

The police policy is just to talk and advice people around her and id rather not waste their time. Especially not around fireworks night.

It would have annoyed me more a few weeks ago, but all the good will i had has been burnt though. Mismanagement. Ridiculous politics. Not listening to local issues. Contradictory rules. God rules after rules after rules. For me and all the neighbouring areas.

Whole thing has descended into farce

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 24/10/2020 00:50

No, and I think it is alarming that anyone might. My neighbour took in a parcel for me earlier, and we stood chatting on her doorstep for about half an hour. Completely ridiculous that we couldn’t have a coffee inside for fear of snitches.

WalesAppearsToBeSlightlySaner · 24/10/2020 00:57

No of course not. It’s absolutely none of my business. I love to hear children playing and people laughing.

Greyshaggyrug · 24/10/2020 02:48

No

redcarbluecar · 24/10/2020 03:00

No I wouldn’t report anyone. Who would you report them to, and what would you expect to happen? I’m pretty sure the police have better things to do than catch people sitting in gardens. The only exception might be if neighbours were having a really noisy party very late. And even then probably not.

theviewfromhalfwaydown · 24/10/2020 03:28

No never. I was reported during lockdown for dropping my children at a neighbours when I had to rush my oldest to hospital. They were admitted for a fortnight so the same neighbour watched them while I visited until I could get them a place in school. Luckily the police agreed that I had done the right thing.

OpheliasCrayon · 24/10/2020 08:24

No

OpheliasCrayon · 24/10/2020 08:25

@theviewfromhalfwaydown

No never. I was reported during lockdown for dropping my children at a neighbours when I had to rush my oldest to hospital. They were admitted for a fortnight so the same neighbour watched them while I visited until I could get them a place in school. Luckily the police agreed that I had done the right thing.
Oh for gods sakes some people are total twats. Of course you did the right thing. What a horrible time to be dealing with being snitched on as well. As if you didn't have enough stress.

I hope your eldest is ok now.

theviewfromhalfwaydown · 24/10/2020 08:40

@OpheliasCrayon thanks. She was diagnosed with anorexia and depression. (She fainted which is why I rushed her in). She’s getting lots of help now and is seeming a lot better. I just can’t believe people could be so nasty. I’m a single mum (children’s dad not on the scene) so I couldn’t stay with her in the hospital which was heart breaking as it was without having that knock at the door.

BillywilliamV · 24/10/2020 08:52

So some people wouldn't report because the police wouldn't DO anything apart from talk to their neighbours.
I wonder how many would report if it always resulted in instant fines or floggings?

Whisperinastorm · 24/10/2020 08:56

No, it’s their business. The only exception would be if they had a massive party and then I would go and speak to them rather than report.

QueenBlueberries · 24/10/2020 09:00

no, I wouldn't.

everythingthelighttouches · 24/10/2020 10:10

one, two, ten people, it doesn't matter

Maybe for some people this doesn't matter, but for me it would make a difference.

Full on house party, yes I probably would report. Just a few people, non of my business, there could be lot’s of reasons for them visiting.

daisybrown37 · 24/10/2020 10:14

We are Tier 2, so no mixing household. I would not check or care if they have family visiting.

However we have student neighbours and if they had a massive party, I might.

loulouljh · 24/10/2020 10:17

No Never.

Ritasueandbobtoo9 · 24/10/2020 10:17

No because I am not in East Germany under communism!

JeVoudrais · 24/10/2020 10:20

I would one neighbour because they're very unpleasant. The others no, but they wouldn't breach rules I don't think anyway.

SleeplessGeordie · 24/10/2020 10:39

Leaannb Wait you were mad that the neighbors jad broken the rules while you were breaking the rules? There is a name for that. Hypocrisy

Its not hypocrisy unless the poster was doing exactly the same thing. She wasn't, she was seeing one other person exclusively, whereas the neighbours were having lots of people over! If she's a single adult household she was just doing what was allowed for everyone else - having some normal company from another adult! The rules create hypocrisy themselves, especially in early lockdown. It's totally hypocritical to demand others live in isolation when you're not having to do that yourself.

Regarding OPs question, I wouldn't report people in the garden, no. Meeting outdoors like that suggests they are trying to socially distance, not just disregarding everything.

OTOH I did report neighbours in early lockdown for having a house party. They were having one every other night as soon as lockdown started! They were always awful neighbours for this - in an upstairs flat, incredibly loud music that shook things in my flat, screaming and shouting and loads of people dancing, starting in the afternoon and going on til 5am. Bloody satisfying when the police came and shut them up! Even better, they were freaked out by the visit and moved out. Result!
I guess that wasn't really because of covid though... I haven't reported anyone else but there are certain families around here completely ignoring all the rules.

Dontforgetyourbrolly · 24/10/2020 10:41

Nope because the worst thing you can do is create aggravation with your neighbours. You dont have to agree , just dont mix with them .

movingonup20 · 24/10/2020 10:45

1 or 2 no, more than 10? Well it depends if they were annoying me with loud music, their bbq had smoked my washing and if it was the loud argumentative ones or the lovely quiet friendly ones Grin

Probably not unless it was a proper annoying party and then I'm more likely to knock and warn them to be less obvious if they are breaking the law

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