BS: Noise nuisance

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Bee
Date: 05 Dec 07 - 07:43 AM

Don't just write to your MP: phone him/her and email him/her.

I don't know how MPs operate in the UK, but here they normally have scads of staff eager to give what aid is legal or possible to any citizen who makes a point of phoning their office. Especially if they are of the party which is presently not composing the government. I have found phoning works best, as you can then interact with someone, instead of depending on the written word which may not explain the circumstances as well as possible, and inadvertently might make you sound like you are complaining about a very minor issue.

Here, each province also has a government, and my experience has been that one's MLA (Member Legislative Assembly) is usually most fitted to cope with local problems, as they aren't haring off to Ottawa all the time, and are immediately concerned.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 05 Dec 07 - 07:17 AM

hamish...we would if we could get away with it!

Richard, I haven't ruled them all out at all. There are several suggestions (for which much thanks to all) that I am pursuing. I just don't have very much faith in police or authorities due to many bad experiences in the past. I will write to my MP and I will look at the legal clinics that were suggested, and the CAB.

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: GUEST,Bruce Michael Baillie
Date: 05 Dec 07 - 12:41 AM

I've had trouble in the past with police who don't seem interested, we were being plagued to death by local youths a few years ago, and my advice is this. Whether the police want to or not they are there to help! Keep on at them, every time there is a nuisance phone them, call them out, annoy them, and contact your local MP, also contact the local council. We did that and EVENTUALLY it worked! Something was done. I wouldn't advise you to take the law into your own hands cos you'll probably get in trouble! Be persisitant, it does work!

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 06:22 PM

Criteria for a section are that he is a risk of harm to himself or others, not that he has committed such harm.

I also think you want to do some research on noise nuisance rather than simply accepting what you are told by indolent officials.

It looks very much as if you could get legal aid.

There have been some useful suggestions here, but you have ruled them all out.

With all due consideration maybe you should consider reframing your approach?

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: GUEST,hamish
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 04:07 PM

shoot the bastard

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 07:33 AM

Gods no cyclops! The last thing we want is for him to split with his girlfriend! At the moment he lives in her house and is rarely here. If they split he'd move back into his house. I'd rather have the noise than him living there!

Apparently the noise level is considered quiet enough for a bedroom, which is where the problem is. Doesn't seem to matter that the damn thing is on at 5.30 am EVERY morning.

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: cyclops
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 04:59 AM

Lynne,This might help. Send him a Xmas card from a female(make it luvvy duvvy). Then send him a New Years card. Then send him a valentine card.It could cause a split. Re Environmental Health, My literature emphasizes relative noise. Your noise problem would not count in the middle of a busy High Street, but it should count in quiet surroundings. Good Luck.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 01:06 PM

Sorry, but given our last 13 years of experience, I'm not bloody surprised!

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Fibula Mattock
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 12:39 PM

That's why so many mentally ill people get let out and immediately kill someone.

You might want to check your facts. Mentally ill people are more likely to be victims than instigators of violence.
http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Factsheets/Statistics/Statistics+8.htm#risk_of_being_killed

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 09:07 AM

Jacqui..I had thought of that but not done it. I'll give it a try.

Mr Happy, I've also thought of that and intend to do it. We have a particularly good Local MP.

Richard they won't do it unless he kills or seriously harms someone....or himself. That's why so many mentally ill people get let out and immediately kill someone.

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 08:52 AM

A tip-off to the local mental health team saying he should be sectioned?

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Mr Happy
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 08:33 AM

Have you tried writing/ emailing your MP for help?

I've accesed mine a few times with positive results

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 07:36 AM

Apply for a pension for stress...

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: jacqui.c
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 07:31 AM

Lynne - go see your GP and explain the effect that this is having on your family. It is possible that intervention by a doctor might just make the EH bods look at this again.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 07:23 AM

The trouble is that the noise is not loud enough to be considered an offence so there's really little that the EH or the police can do.

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Bee
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 06:12 AM

I must be very fortunate, because on the rare occasions that I have had to call in authority in the form of police or the environment department, they've been on the spot tout de suite with bells on - and I ain't at all important or rich.

MBS Lynne, I do recommend patient persistence in calling any authority that might apply to the situation. I know seemingly small irritations can make life miserable.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 02:17 AM

SRS

you are EVIL! about the PRS - Lynne can CERTIFY that they ARE they audience... :-P

ROFLMAo...

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 12:52 AM

Performing Rights Society = PRS, they're the body that collects (and extorts) royalties from places like clubs, bars and shops that have piped music. They're notorious for screwing the little person/small company for having a radio on quietly in the background without holding a public broadcast license (or whatever it's called these days). There was a thread about their latest antics above the line here.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: skipy
Date: 02 Dec 07 - 07:15 PM

Call the police very day, several times a day, piss them off, nicely, sevral times a day until they get bored into doing something about it.
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Dec 07 - 06:54 PM

What is the PRS?

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: folk1e
Date: 02 Dec 07 - 06:49 PM

IF   the noise is clearly audible you could let the PRS know!
If it suddenly costs him money .........

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 30 Nov 07 - 01:27 PM

Richard, strangely enough, we never have those sort of people knocking at the door.

Mr Happy, the house on the other side of him is empty at the moment but even when it wasn't, the noise didn't disturb the guy who llived there because it wasn't in the room next to his house.

Love Lynn

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Mr Happy
Date: 30 Nov 07 - 06:11 AM

Lynne,

You've my every sympathy.

We too had an excruciatingly noisy person, I purposely don't say 'neighbour', some way from the rear of our house, in one of the council properties.

The noise was often so horrendous from his stereo, that you couldn't sit out in the garden during hot summer days & would have to keep the windows closed-stifling!

To cut a long story short, if seems it wasn't only us he was disturbing & his immediate neighbours got together to obtain help from the council & housing trust in the form of an ASBO!

All quiet since!


Does your perpetrator's behaviour have detrimental effects on your other neighbours?

If so, perhaps try a petition to your local council.

Best of luck!

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 30 Nov 07 - 05:40 AM

Don't you have "gentlemen" knocking on doors, offering to tarmac drives, trim trees, fix roofs, etc?

Next time they visit, tell them several times, just to be helpful, that there is no point in knocking next door because there is no-one there, the place has been left standing empty although furnished for months....

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 30 Nov 07 - 05:10 AM

Yes so do I. Not sure I fancy trying to push one through though. Nor, I feel, would it. Good thought though! In fact, given the propensity of rodents large and small for moving into houses in the winter, perhaps it will all happen without my having to do anything!

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 04:29 PM

I know where you can find some larger rodents if you want to pop one through the letterbox....

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 03:40 PM

It's surprising there aren't mice in there already...or perhaps there are. Maybe it's only a matter of time

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 03:13 PM

I just put a long and thoughtful post here. Where did it go?

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Emma B
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 07:39 AM

arghhhh! don't even mention that!
Heard the first rustling of over-wintering mice behind the skirting this morning.
St Gertrude of Nivelles - where are you?

Good luck with the on-going problem Lynne, should I bring some of the mice down next visit?

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: GUEST,LTS pretending to work
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 07:28 AM

Can you introduce a small rodent into the wiring? That often helps short out a circuit or two...

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 07:19 AM

Yes Robin, we have a couple of things on timer and have to go and reset them if we have a power failure. I wonder how one arranges a small power failure?

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 09:12 PM

A technical thought.

Most such devices that have electronic clocks in them to come on at certain times will reset and stop the alarm function (and sometimes reset the time to 00:00!) if the mains power is "lost" :-) for a while. There can be 'backup batteries' inside to keep the info a for a few hours.

'manual' time switches (that use mechanical clocks) would not be affected this way.


Say no more, say no more, nudge nudge, wink wink...

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: GUEST,Obie
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 08:56 PM

I'd still try the blanket Lynne or a piece of old carpet would be even better.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 04:54 PM

Nah, it's two rooms that adjoin his house and both suffer from the noise. "Not too" expensive is irrelevant to us at the moment. We have no money, so any expense is too expensive. There's nowhere else to move my daughter's room to...that's why she was sleeping in the sitting room.

Thanks for all your suggestions and support guys.

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 01:28 PM

I think that 90% of your problem is the noise, and 10% is your anger.

You hate this man, and you are letting that hate prey upon your soul.

But if he's mentally ill, you are simply wasting your energy. Hating him is as useless as hating a rock that fell on you. He's crazy and has no control over the fear and anger that make him do what he does.

Even if he's not actually mentally ill, he may have been abused by others. Abuse, especially of boys, often consists of blows to the head which cause brain damage. Brain damage often results in an angry, antisocial personality. Again, hating him is like hating a rock.

Now, what to do?

I like the idea of reporting a possible drug farm.

Go higher up the chain of authority than a police constable.

Move your daughter's room to another part of the house. He may especially like bugging someone young and female.

Get a pink noise machine or a fan and put it on a timer to mask the suddeness of the radio.

Locate a soundproofing firm and see what they have to offer.

Then, like Piglet, who threw a note in a bottle into the flood, you will know that you have done everything you can to save yourself.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 11:08 AM

You do have to be careful what you do to walls separating attics. Building regulations say that they have to be fire proof.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 11:00 AM

If there's a common wall in the attic, that is one place where you could insert an opening. You'd have to be sure to finish the edges and hinge it and set it so you can lock it securely from your side so no one comes back through the other way. He might not ever get up there to notice.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 07:09 AM

There is no such law in the UK, and in any case, people could get around it presumably just by staying there a weekend every 6 weeks or so. Most radios here don't have remote controls.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: GUEST,Obie
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 07:07 AM

It would seem that the suggestion to soundproof the wall is the only one of practical ( and legal ) merit. If the noise from his radio is low enough to be within legal limits it should not be difficult reduce it by a few db by simply attaching sound deadening tiles to the common wall. If it is just one wall of one room it may not cost too much. Even hanging a heavy blanket on that wall will perhaps help.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 07:02 AM

If he's living on benefits I wonder who's paying the council tax on the empty property.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: bfdk
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 06:19 AM

Dunno if this applies to England, but over here it's illegal to leave a house or flat uninhabited for more than 6 weeks. If you don't live in your own property, it *must* be offered for rent to others - and if you don't do it voluntarily, the authorities will do it for you..!!

Another idea that might work if the circumstances are right is something I saw on TV a good while ago on a program about how burglars work. They'd go checking if people were in by pointing a remote control at the TV through the window and turning the volume up. Then wait to see if anybody responded and if not, time to go collect the goodies. Now, if you can turn *up* the noise that way, I assume you could turn it down, too, if you had a remote that would operate his radio, and if the radio is placed in a location where you could operate it from outside the window. One of these "multi function, multi model" remotes might just do the trick.

Best of luck with getting the better of this nitwit!

Best wishes,

Bente

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 04:10 AM

Bert... :-)

The man doesn't often have a regular job but lives on social security. He's virtually unemployable for any length of time.

Wicked, I think the wall was built up properly when our house was made into one out of three cottages in the 70s. There's certainly no gap now.

I still like SRS's idea and will pursue it

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: GUEST,Wicked
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 03:46 AM

Another thought.... have you had a good look in the roofspace? In older houses, it's often not made up to full height between the houses, and someone (perhaps a resourceful and agile younger person) could crawl through, taking a rope ladder to climb down into the other house. Wear latex gloves, opportunities for devilment or just alter the timers and turn the volume down. Take a portable battery powered vacuum cleaner to eliminate any mess. Clean up behind like the last Red Indian in the file.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Bert
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 09:51 AM

If you keep calling his boss (it should only take three of four daily calls)he will stop messing with you before he gets fired.

If he threatens you, up the ante and tell him you have all these American friends with guns so he'd better start being nice to you.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Bryn Pugh
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 05:08 AM

Further to that which Richard B wrote earlier : if you are in receipt of any DWP benefit, then there is a real possibility of Legal Aid sounding.

Find out if there is a Neighbourhood Law Centre near you.

Some of the 'New Universities' - i.e. former Polytechnics - frequently hold Legal Clinics, where advice is free or the subject of a low fee or donation. If you are in receipt of any Benefit, then almost certainly any such fee would be waived.

If you wish to PM me, in Absolute Confidence, I might be able to direct you to one, if you are prepared, in any such PM, to give me the locality (e.g. town, city) - NOT your address ! - in which you live.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 04:47 AM

Hmmm...now that IS interesting SRS. He only comes round every couple of weeks. That really is a good thought. He wouldn't know we'd been in as long as we can lock the door again afterwards. I will look into that, thank you.

Yes, I got Shady ear plugs and she is now back sleeping in her own bed. She didn't wake up till 9 on Saturday morning and that was only when I went to wake her cos we were going out. No wonder she's been so tired. It's not the whole solution to the problem though.

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 04:11 PM

How about getting a bump key from a locksmith and simply going in and turning off the offending devices? Or turn them down so low that you can't hear them but so that he doesn't necessarily realize they've been tampered with. How often does he go by to check, anyway?

Google search on "bump key."

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: Sorcha
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 03:59 PM

Get shady some soft foam ear plugs?

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: jeffp
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 03:33 PM

Kill him. From what you say, you will have nothing to fear from the police.

Subject: RE: BS: Noise nuisance
From: MBSLynne
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 02:44 PM

Couldn't afford it. we have no money

Love Lynne