Smoke from neighbours chimney

Now to your legal case- Record everything on video, and with photos. Catalogue any damage and get a pod solicitor, not a no win no fee crew a decent solicitor a sue them for the damage, your costs and your distress.

And then kill everyone to death with a sub machine gun just to be sure.

Interesting reading this thread back to back with some of the comments on this thread and this one. 🙂

Well if he warned her about it and she did it again, damaging his property in the process then unless she paid for my loss I’d be seeing her in court.

Alternatively he could go round and they could have group hug.

HSE are not only concerned with the workplace. Good advice call them. Also google RIDDOR as it is probably reportable.

You mean RIDDOR as in Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995, the system for reporting workplace incidents, as administered by the Health and Safety Executive which for the record deals with Health and Safety at work and only Health and Safety at work, unless something changed since I left work at 5pm yesterday.

Why are you giving this guy bad advice as if you know what you’re talking about?

Ok get a gas safe registered engineer round. He will be legally required to report fumes. We have to riddor report on certain circumstances that aren’t in places of work. I said it may be reportable as if it was a gas appliance it may well be.

The gas safe guy wouldn’t know if it was from an open fire unless you told him.
I’d better ask the HSE if they could delete the report I sent them for a block of flats that had dangerous issues with the gas supply. Pretty certain it was purely residential too!

Apologies for poor information but riddor does not just apply to the workplace, your turn to apologise!!

Interesting the stuff about chimney liners (for the record OP I share your frustration and concerns).

We got our stove installed by a firm that were significantly cheaper than more established firms in the area (we still paid around £2.5k for 7.5kw Multi fuel stove plus liner and installation). One of the firms that quoted was less than complimentary about the new kid on the block but they did give us some advice at the time that was interesting.

There are a couple of types of liner you can get. One is suitable for wood burners only. A lot of installers will use this type for Multi fuel as well but it can fail due to the additional heat from coal etc.

We got a 908 liner which is rated for both.

When I asked about lining the chimney if we kept the open fire the previous owners had used we were told we didn’t need one.

Seemed odd under the circumstances but they reckoned that enough carbon etc would have built up over 80 years to mean that it wouldn’t need anything else.

Sounds like the issue is with the chimney rather than anything else.

OP, you didn’t have any bats in your loft did you? Your neighbour could be in a staggering amount of trouble if she’s just gassed a roost!

Nutt has a point. Off to ASDA with you. Buy a load of rubber bats, throw then in the attic, photograph the carnage and then dispose of the “carcasses” as they had “started to smell a bit”. Sorted. 8)

So because the neighbour didnt get the job done proffesionally,
she has had 2 fire engines visit,
i senior fire oficer,
gas safe engineer,
HSE inspector,
Building control officer,
the next door neighbour,
environmnetla health dept of local council,
batman, without robin,

Just hope she has enough cups for all of them.

Smoke damage in the house = liability for the person who caused it. So, claim off her. If she has insurance, she may use that to pay out or pay you directly.

As for the actual problem – and potential danger, I don’t know the exact cause of action. However, I’d be on to building control sharpish.

Don’t think HSE would be of help, they would only investigate installer not the woman she is a victim of their incompetence as well. In Scotland the environmental health can issue an abatement notice against her and she would have to do something within the the frame their stipulate or the council would take action this may apply also else were. But your first course of action surely has to be the fire brigade on a non emergency call.

Qwetry thats fantastic advice lmfao 😆

Any news from next door yet?

This thread needs a photo of you at her back door with your hand on her knocker. Remember if you do get a closer look at her fire box and you don’t especially like what you see.. don’t stare at the mantelpiece whilst your poker is in the fire.

Still no mention of flash bangs!!!

A word of caution: Just ploughing in and bashing back doors in can cause irrepairable damage and a reluctance for your neighbour to entertain you in future. Try lightly lubing a probe and seeing if you can’t gently slide it around the lip and into the rim, a gentle prising should open up a crack large enough to give you access to the rear of her semi, be wary as from what you’ve describe the smell that belches out will probably be rather foul.

On a serious note what about the Health Protection Agency? Or the environment agency?

Can they help at all?

Edit: Nope neither would be of any use? It seems only the council would be.

wow. This could have been all dramatic and stuff. But sounds like you sorted it all in the right way. It could’ve been a more interesting thread to be fair.

I’m not surprised the Fire service came with two pumps and blue lights – I can hardly imagine the despatcher telling them “smoke entering from next door – but it’s not an emergency, take your time” !

Still waiting for report of subsequent conversation with neighbour.

Yeah c’mon what did the neighbour say! Unable to talk after having her doors smashed in?

Perhaps the OP tried smashing doors and was subsequently smashed himself?

bear and I and others are perfectly correct.
riddor reportable incidents are anything that may cause/ have caused death or injury as a result of work done.. whether thats a gas pipe leaking, a flue leaking or your cars brakes not been repaired properly.

any competant person has a requirement to report any incident withnin 24 hours by phone AND to duplicate that report online within 14 days.

clearly you feel that the smoke/ fumes came from the new solid fuel burner next door.

the fire brigade were very wisely called and they attended as smoke and co kill they kill quickly and silently.. what if you fall asleep on the sofa… next door light up and the next thing you ll know it ll be the pearly gates for you..

so hse NOW.. they can place a cease and desist notice on the flue/ burner immediately and you can safely fall asleep on the sofa dreaming of how to spend the compensation for the smoke damage to your home and the headaches and flu like symptoms that you had at the time.. best to check out with your local a and e just in case you have suffered some longer term effects due to the CO you may have been exposed to..

Bump for the OP.

OP what was her reaction to events?
you still talking?
How’d she take the visit from the Fireman?

I hope relations aren’t irreparably damaged, nobody needs neighbours from hell type scenarios

If theres smoke in your house then the neighbours chimney hasn’t been lined properly? Which can also mean Carbon monoxide can leak in?

Sorry I wouldn’t even muck around- I’d have the neighbour stood in your room with the smoke. If you’ve already done this and shes still lighting her fire then I’d call the Police for advice – fear there will be breach of the Peace? Can this help?

Its ridiculous that she keeps lighting her fire knowing theres a clear risk to health to another. What a dickhead.

I hope she’s not been at it again and smoked the OP out

Come on OP, we NEED to know!

+100 Building control on Monday morning. They will come down on her like a ton of bricks

Was that meant to be ironic?

so what happened with this…….

looks like he’s alive, he’s posted on other threads Phew!

Would be interesting to know how it’s all panned out though.

I read it out to my wife at the weekend, she’s even asked me for an update on what’s happened 8)

Bump for OP
Update needed!

I heard of this happening recently, but it was caused by the smoke coming out of one chimney, very slowly just after the fire had been lit. Then as the smoke crept out of one chimney it is drawn down the neighbours chimney because the neighbour had an extractor fan going, their house was so well insulated that the only place it could draw new air in from was their chimney, therefore sucking in the smoke from their neighbours chimney. Strange but true, apparently its a well know phenomenon. Clicky

7 days after the event we are still on speaking terms. Full apology blah blah blah. Still rather annoyed but coping. As you do…

All I can really say is we are dealing with the issue and damage caused. There have been no further indiscretions.

Thanks to all for the advice folks. At least I haven’t come back to the same scenario today!

That’s just too reasonable and grown up.
Couldn’t we at least have had some smashed in back doors?
😉

bear and I and others are perfectly correct.
riddor reportable incidents are anything that may cause/ have caused death or injury as a result of work done.. whether thats a gas pipe leaking, a flue leaking or your cars brakes not been repaired properly.

any competant person has a requirement to report any incident withnin 24 hours by phone AND to duplicate that report online within 14 days.

Sorry, but this is utter rubbish.

Gas incidents are reportable, but a flue liner isn’t. And the HSE reporting number is now only for deaths and major injuries, otherwise you have to report it on line, they won’t even take the call now.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/what-must-i-report.htm

OP, sounds like you did it exactly right and hopefully it’s getting resolved with your neighbour.