Bonfires

[lindapalmara]

Our 10 house close backs onto a large house where a single man has lived for many years. He was widowed some years ago and has become a recluse. He has an obsession to light bonfires quite near his fence which backs onto a public footpath and all our neighbours back garden. A couple of years ago he burnt down the his fence, the footpath and another neighbours fence. A fire engine was called. Last week he did it again and,this time much worse and it destroyed a neighbours mature trees, the whole of his garden and was just about to catch the garage when two boys spotted it and called the fire service. This time 4 engines attended. The neighbour was away on holiday.

Is there any action we can take like an antisocial behaviour order to stop him lighting bonfires.

[Zacs-Master]

Didn't the police get involved?

[hc4361]

Keep a diary of when he has bonfires and report him to the council, citing the bonfires as a nuisance and a danger

[dannyk13]

This may interest you:-
http://www.inbrief.co.uk/neighbour-disputes/restrictions-on-bonfires/

[cath16]

Just set up sprinklers and smoke detectors.
Any new fires, and there's no smoke without them, would be automatically extinguished. The neighbour may also get soaked, so perhaps the message would be well (sic) and truly high-lighted (sic)

[maggiebee]

You mention this neighbour has been widowed and has become something of a recluse. Do you perhaps think that he needs a bit of help? Could his behaviour be early stage dementia or alzheimers? Perhaps you could take direct action and just go and speak to him?

[lindapalmara]

Very difficult Maggie. We have tried to engage with him in the past but he locks the gates and won't answer the door. He has 2 sons who hardly visit and I contacted one of them through a friend who knows him. The answer was that he can do what he liked as its his land.

[Baldric]

How do you set up a sprinkler on someone elses land? get real.

[-SharonA-]

And do you hang the smoke detector from the tree??

[albaqwerty]

I think that poster thought it was a neighbour in the block of flats, and not the neighbour living in a different property on their own land.
jeez......

[ummmm]

Still couldn't install a sprinkler system and smoke alarms into someone else property.

[tamborine]

Throw red ball extinguisher @ £40ebay

[Baldric]

///I think that poster thought it was a neighbour in the block of flats, and not the neighbour living in a different property on their own land. jeez///

Don't see how that works, but never mind,

///Our 10 house close backs onto a large house///

[Mamyalynne]

The item in your Video Tambo is £135 a pop - could be costly if he has bonfires regularly.

[Mamyalynne]

£40 on EBay?

Genuine?

[tamborine]

Ive bought 3 @ £40ea off ebay.

[Mamyalynne]

Fair enough, I'd be a bit wary of a safety item so cheap, but then I guess the worst that could happen is the fire keeps burning.

[hereIam]

It certainly sounds as if he's got mental health problems, glad he's not my neighbour all the same ...

[EDDIE51]

Unless it is a smokeless zone (do they still exist?) there is nothing to stop him lighting bonfires.
Where I live is a smokeless zone, or so we were told when we moved in, but just 25 yards away is an allotment which is not a smokeless zone. The allotment holders have bonfires regularly.

[ummmm]

There is if he's setting other peoples property on fire!