Bonfires

milkydrink

I moved here just over a year ago, side road in a small village.
The previous people who lived here before had bonfires near the end of the garden (because there was a scorch mark on the grass).

The garden was a bit over grown so last May 2006 we lit a bonfire to get rid of the shrubbery that we clipped. We were city folk & didn't have a clue about these things, so we used a bit of petrol & did it in the middle of the day. Loud bang when we lit it & neighbour 2 doors away started giving out. So we said sorry & put it out. The nice lady next door (the other way) said she has them, but later in the evening when peope are going in. So that night we lit it & burned it all.

A couple of days later I got a letter off the council about our nuscinse bonfires. ONE:eek: . Anyway they also sent a leaflet which said bonfire ARE allowed in our area, but should NOT be a nuicense. I called the person who wrote it & explained the suituation to him, he said they said it was a continual problem (we had not long moved in then:rolleyes: ) & not to worry about it.

That was a year ago.

Yesterday our neighbour next door said she was doing one later on in the evening. We had a pile of woody shrubs (the growth from last year), so decided to light ours at the same time. We started ours a little after her (we started about 7pm, it clouded over & looked like it might start to rain). They said nothing about hers - but she has hers right at the bottom, where we have a big willow tree at the bottom, so have ours about 60-70 foot from our house, & ours would be the closest to it.

No sooner was it lit, than they started complaining, this time we did not put it out, but when she screamed over the gardens "Another bl**dy bonfire, its a bit much this", I shouted back, "yes it is, once a year" to which she shouted back "once a year, you're having a laugh". She gave up shouting at us & started screaming at her husband & kids, then crying (very loudly), then I heard her scream she had a headache & had to have a lie down. Over reaction or what:rolleyes:

I wonder does she think that my neighbours bonfires are mine?

She doesn't have hedges only fences, so she doesn't have bonfires.

It really is 13 months since my last one.

I only burn hedges/shrubbery, everything else I take to the dump.

The (nice) lady next door says she used to stand in the back window & stare at her when she had them, she says she used to wave to her:rotfl:

I'm not the only one, I do it once a year when I cut the hedges & I do it late-ish.

Do you think she will go to the council (Tandridge) again & make up lies saying I do it more than once a year?

How do you feel about an annual bonfire?

Or how do you cope with getting rid of hedge cuttings ?(& there are loads), 115 foot long garden, hedged one side. 4 car drive hedged one side & hedges either side of the front entrance.

Actually I do plan in time to start replacing the hedges with fencing as it is a pain to cut & get rid of, it belongs to my nice neighbour & shes not that keen on it either, so maybe we can share the cost.
But it won't be this year & maybe not even next year. As we had so much to do already & its a hell of a lot of fencing.

Seakay

Your problem neighbour sounds like the sort who would be a regular complainer, so I shouldn't worry about it. The council are probably obliged to respond in all cases, but may well be unwilling to take matters further on the say so of a trouble maker (as you found last time). You and you nice neighbour can speak for each other if the situation arises to require it, so I really would put it out of your mind for now. You sound very stressed, and there is no point in letting your poisonous neighbour ruin you life.

Thinking of alternatives - some councils arrange collection of such materials on request (even if they don't do regular green collections).

Joscar

I have recently learned that our local council lend residents shredding machines which come with a council worker to operate free of charge. We have booked it for the next available Saturday and were told they will give us the option of either keeping the shreddings as mulch or they will take them away ( also free of charge). Sounds to be good to be true. Fingers crossed this will work for us as we have a lot of hedge clippings to dispose of. May be you can enquire if your council has this service.

ForkHandles_2

Hi,

I used to have the odd bonfire, maybe 2 a year but I tried to light them in winter when it's cold and damp, that way:

Nobody has their windows open so less likely to upset anyone.

The ground isn't dry so less likely to get out of control.

People won't have their washing out on the line.

I've never had any complaints

Maybe keep a small list of when you've had one as evidence (not that you're breaking the law or anything) so if the council look into it further you can show that you are being far from a nuisance.

FH

milkydrink

ForkHandles wrote: »

Hi,

I used to have the odd bonfire, maybe 2 a year but I tried to light them in winter when it's cold and damp, that way:

Nobody has their windows open so less likely to upset anyone.

The ground isn't dry so less likely to get out of control.

People won't have their washing out on the line.

I've never had any complaints

Maybe keep a small list of when you've had one as evidence (not that you're breaking the law or anything) so if the council look into it further you can show that you are being far from a nuisance.

FH

I only do it in late spring with the cuttings from the hedges. Everything else I take to the dump.
Perhaps they think any/all bonfires from this area are mine or perhaps shes just a miserable cow. She was like a mad woman shouting at her family after I gave her short shrift!

bones61

look on the bright side, while the witch was throwing a wobbler over your fire she wasn't having a go about something else.
she should try living near us were the bu99ers seem to burn carpets/rubber on a fairly regular basis. nice weekend, windows open, washing out, early afternoon = guarantee of a fire.

madmum33

My OH has bonfires at the bottom of the garden occasionally (only if we have any really woody stuff to get rid of), but he always does it after 6pm, checks that the neighbours have no washing out before he starts, and watches over it until it goes out. I'd love to know the difference between a BBQ and a garden bonfire - does the neighbour ever have a BBQ? If she does you could try complaining

milkydrink

madmum33 wrote: »

My OH has bonfires at the bottom of the garden occasionally (only if we have any really woody stuff to get rid of), but he always does it after 6pm, checks that the neighbours have no washing out before he starts, and watches over it until it goes out. I'd love to know the difference between a BBQ and a garden bonfire - does the neighbour ever have a BBQ? If she does you could try complaining

Yes, this time it was 7pm (& looked like it was about to rain) last year it was dusk (about 9pm).
Our other neighbour had already checked for washing.
& we both stayed with it, to fed it little by little, so it didn't need to be too big & safety.
She will kick off again next year.
This is the woman whos cat slips in everyones houses & tries to steal their food:eek: Hes never done it to mine, but has started eating the meat in other peoples kitchens, slipping in the kitchen window when their back was turned:eek:
My cat wouldn't let him in:D

thelurch

Thought id add my tuppence worth, I am a keen gardener and would never have a bonfire but my view is that bonfires should not be allowed at anytime in buit up areas. I take all rubbish to the tip or shred it.

This comes from having to put up with the smell of smoke drifting into the bedroom most evenings during the summer months.

And also, as I am a firefighter, it is the bain of our lives either being called to bonfires out of control where the occupier has built them too close to the shed or used too much petrol or just gone to bed and left it.

We also get at least a 50 calls during the summer months to "house fires", when actually it turns out to be an annoyed neighbour calling us because they want us to put out their neighbours bonfire because of the smoke.

We cannot do this unless it is too big or out of control or the smoke is causing a hazard to roads.

milkydrink

thelurch wrote: »

Thought id add my tuppence worth, I am a keen gardener and would never have a bonfire but my view is that bonfires should not be allowed at anytime in buit up areas. I take all rubbish to the tip or shred it.

We cannot do this unless it is too big or out of control or the smoke is causing a hazard to roads.

We do live in a village, there was far too much to bag & take to the dump, its bulky & after being burnt its little more than a black sack of ashes, but before it was burnt it would have taken a trailer to remove & even if I did have one, I don't have a tow bar on my car & even if I did, I don't think our local dump allows trailers.

The leaflet the council sent me last year with the letter about her complaint actually says bonfires (done properly) are the best way of getting rid of woody hedges.

No fear of it causing problems to a road, the only road near is a little used bridal path (which is only used during the day anyway).

No petrol used, late evening, checked for washing, stayed with it all the time, fed it slowly, well away from trees, sheds & fences & had hose ready beside it just as an extra safety net.

Solomon_Broad

kimevans wrote: »

She gave up shouting at us & started screaming at her husband & kids, then crying (very loudly), then I heard her scream she had a headache & had to have a lie down. Over reaction or what:rolleyes:

Next time you have one, have an old car tyre in the garden. Threaten to put it on if she throws a fit. :rotfl: