Smoking in garden

catflap11

Hi

Apologies if this is in the wrong place but I just wanted to get some opinions. My other half and I own our own detached house on a relatively new estate, we are not heavy smokers but we might pop out and have one or two on an evening in the garden.Last night our next door neighbour came round and asked us not to smoke in the garden as it was drifting up and "filling her daughters bedroom with smoke".

Are we being unreasonable in thinking she is being slightly neurotic and that one or two fags smoked a good 20 feet away from the window outside isn't an issue? As an aside these neighbours seem to have regular fallings out with the other neighbours over various issues so I'd like to think it isn't us with the problem.

How would you handle this? (I don't want a debate about the rights and wrongs of smoking, I don't drink but wouldn't dream of telling someone they can't have a beer)

davidmcn

Smoke at the other side of the house instead?

PasturesNew

Depends which way the wind's blowing. I smoke in one place when I know the neighbours are out - and another when I know they're in (window's open)....

If you have a detached house you have many options on where to stand to have your fag....

Fag smoke travels a LONG way ... and is nasty.

arciere

Having a beer doesn't affect your neighbours while smoking does.
My bedroom is on the same side as my neighbour's garden and when she smokes the room smells so badly that I must close the window and open the windows on the other side of the flat to let the smoke out.
I don't know if they are allowed to 'force' you to stop smoking in your garden, but I must say that it is quite annoying having to breathe someone else's cigarette smoke inside your own house.

Pixie5740

catflap11 wrote: »

How would you handle this? (I don't want a debate about the rights and wrongs of smoking, I don't drink but wouldn't dream of telling someone they can't have a beer)

That's not a fair comparison. Someone drinking a beer doesn't harm your liver but your second hand smoke does adversely affect others.

What about smoking inside your house or in the front garden or a different part of the garden? Alternatively carry on doing as you are doing and invoke the wrath of your neighbour. It's up to you, you're the one who has to live next to her.

SmashedAvacado

catflap11 wrote: »

Hi


How would you handle this? (I don't want a debate about the rights and wrongs of smoking, I don't drink but wouldn't dream of telling someone they can't have a beer)

Presumably though you would dream of telling someone that you can't pour a beer into their child mouth.

I think you should be sensitive to the neighbours. say sorry. try to avoid smoking when the window is open and if so, smoke somewhere where it doesn't blow into their garden.

mirko

Over the years we've had a few smokers live next door to us. It's a rented property so they normally do so outside.

A real pain in the summer as it drifts into our house when we have the doors or windows open.

It is a significant issue, and I'd rather they didn't.

I've never gone as far as complaining about it though. I do tut a lot, however.

catflap11

Apologies, I used the beer analogy in case someone told me to give up smoking, I wasn't saying it was the same as smoking I was trying to head off a debate about the rights and wrongs of smoking.

Appreciate all the views, I only have a small area of patio to stand on and the majority of the garden is grass so standing elsewhere isn't an option, also I don't want to smoke in my house so that is out.

We are considerate neighbours but for the one or two cigarettes we have i feel she is making a mountain out of molehill.

We have never made an issue out of their BBQs which happen on a weekly basis blowing smoke over our garden, as our view is that they can do what they want within reason in their own garden.

SmashedAvacado

are you worried about bruising the grass?

Pixie5740

catflap11 wrote: »

Appreciate all the views, I only have a small area of patio to stand on and the majority of the garden is grass so standing elsewhere isn't an option, also I don't want to smoke in my house so that is out.

You do know that you can stand on grass....right?

Presumably you don't want to smoke in your house because you don't want it to smell like an ashtray and it sounds like your neighbour doesn't her house to smell like an ashtray either but that's what happens when you stand smoking where you do.

I'm not really sure what advice you want because you seem to have made up your mind that you won't stand anywhere else to smoke and you don't want to stop smoking which leaves you with the only option of continuing to !!!! your neighbour off. Realistically there's nothing she can do to stop you smoking in your own garden.

catflap11

Not at all, I just don't particularly want to stand on wet grass in my bare feet.