Wigan is regional hotspot for neighbour bust-ups

So concludes a report into residents’ disputes of various kinds across the region.

A new study by The Solar Centre reveals a huge rise in nuisance complaints in the last year, suggesting the extra time spent at home has caused neighbour disputes to boil over.

This is according to data gathered through Freedom of Information requests, sent to almost 200 UK councils. Data analysts at The Solar Centre then crunched the numbers to reveal the extent of the complaints.

In 2020, there were 299,077 noise and statutory nuisance complaints filed across the country, a 28 per cent increase on the yearly average.

In the North West, the number of complaints rose from 23,338 to 32,792 – a 41 per cent from 2019 to ’20. This was the biggest year over year increase seen anywhere in the UK.

Some of the more unusual complaints across the North West included fouling on premises, babies crying and prostitution. and CCTV over next-door’s property.

In five years, councils across the North West received 119,800 nuisance and noise complaints. But, the worst neighbours in the North West belong to Borough of Tameside, with 6,277 complaints per capita (calculated per 100,000) since 2016.

In second place came Wigan, with 3,707 per capita, followed by Stockport with 3,602.

Neighbour disputes can be a big problem for many people. One case last year involved a Manchester woman who complained of loud sex from her next door neighbour every night. At the time, the council didn’t deal with her neighbour as they classed it as ‘natural noise.’

Councils can install recording devices to determine if a noise should be deemed a “nuisance.” Noise recording devices are set up in the complainant’s house, without the accused person’s knowledge.

In most cases, this either leads to further action or the noise complaint doesn’t constitute a nuisance. When this happens it’s usually because the noise isn’t loud enough, or the complainant turned out to be the main culprit.

There were some unbelievable complaints received too, that range from rude, to threatening to downright bizarre. Here are 25 of the most frequent, and sometimes downright weird neighbour complaints that have been made countrywide:

1 Drug production

2 Loud porn

3 Sex

4 Running a brothel out of their room

5 Dancing on doorstep

6 Solvent abuse

7 Aggressive trampolining

8 Starting pistol to quieten dog

9 Licking and stroking neighbour’s car

10 Wind chimes

11 Bird scarer

12 TV

13 Menacing gestures

14 Human faeces

15 CCTV over property

16 Throwing nappies off balcony

17 Voyeurism

18 Verminous property

19 Syringes

20 Urinating

21 Shooting

22 Skateboarding

23 Facebook threat

24 Children playing

25 Delivery noise

Citizens Advice recommends several steps to deal with a neighbour problem peacefully, without filing a complaining. This includes keeping records, getting help from a mediator or if you feel safe enough, talking to them. If you are having trouble with a neighbour, visit Citizens Advice’s guide here.

Brian Davenport, owner of The Solar centre, said: “It’s been fun looking through some of the more eccentric complaints, but we understand neighbour issues are a very real problem for some people.

“As a company that sells garden lights, we want people to enjoy their time in the garden. We hope anyone suffering with a neighbour dispute can resolve it quickly and peacefully.”

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