Quietly opening the front door late at night, Gemma Smith stepped out with a bulky trash bag in her hand.
Running over to her neighbor’s trash can, she lifted the lid, stuffed her bag inside, and went back inside.
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It was a routine she had performed almost weekly for over a year as part of an ongoing feud with Sophie Wood.
The consequences, which were completely mutual, culminated in the pair setting up secret cameras to capture each other.
Gemma, 31, who lives in Hastings, East Sussex, says: “I became obsessed with getting the upper hand on Sophie.
“I spent hours looking out the window to see if I could catch it.
“When that didn’t work, I set up a baby monitor pointed at the bins and ended up catching her in the act.
“But she was just as involved as I was.
“We would shout at each other in the street – I can honestly say I grew to hate her, all because of the rubbish.
“I would even put black trash bags in her trash can.”
Gemma and Sophie’s confrontation over rubbish is far from unique.
Many local authorities now only have fortnightly collections.
While this saves millions of pounds for councils such as York and Birmingham, and many local authorities in London including Greenwich, Brent and Bexley, it leaves some residents with overflowing bins.
Even before the switch to fortnightly collections, a report from insurance company Churchill suggested that 5.8 million people had been involved in “litter wars” with their neighbors in the previous year, with one in 20 rows resulting in fights. physical.
Putting rubbish in someone else’s bin – known as “bin stuffing” – is considered anti-social and illegal behaviour.
When Gemma moved in next door to Sophie, 34, who is unemployed, in November 2020, they were civil.
Gemma, who is single and doesn’t work due to stress, says: “Sophie seemed nice and we stopped to exchange pleasantries.
“But everything changed at the beginning of 2022, when Sophie’s bin was full and she put her rubbish bag in mine.
“I took it out and put it on top of her trash can.
“It fell, the seagulls pecked at it and there was rubbish everywhere.”
Both women refused to clean up the mess, claiming it was each other’s fault.
Gemma says: “I was really angry.
We were both as bad as each other – we would walk past each other and I would tell her she was a lazy cow and to clean up the mess
Gem Smith
“There was cat litter all over my path – it was absolutely disgusting and we ended up shouting at each other.
“We were both as bad as each other – we would walk past each other and I would tell her she was a lazy cow and to clean up the mess.
“We would shout insults at each other.
“Hardly a week went by without one of us moving the rubbish bags, he just took over.
“Part of the problem is that our bins are only emptied every two weeks, so the volume of rubbish is a huge hassle.
“I was scared of seeing Sophie and sometimes I wouldn’t leave the house just to avoid her.”
Within six months, Sophie had set up a CCTV camera and threatened to report Gemma to the council.
In retaliation, Gemma set up the baby monitor – which can record video – to try and pin more wrongdoing on Sophie.
She explains: “I was hoping to catch her by letting her dog get in my way.
“If she didn’t clarify, I might contact environmental health as I thought she would get into more trouble because of this.”
Then, last July, Sophie saw Gemma crying on her doorstep after a burglary at her home.
Gemma says: “Sophie came straight over and asked if there was anything she could do.
Now we laugh at the trash wars. . . none of us can believe we let this get so out of control
Gem Smith
“She brought me a cup of tea and, just like that, all our anger disappeared.
“Now we are best friends and we help each other all the time.
“Sophie even helped me paint my apartment and when I was in hospital recently, she was the first person to visit me, bringing me treats.
“Now we laugh at the trash wars. . . none of us can believe we let this get so out of control.
“I even let her put her trash in my trash can if she needed to.”
Sophie, who lives with her husband Steve, 39, and their 16-year-old daughter, says: “I started by putting a bag in her bin but as it was being emptied the next day I didn’t see it would be a problem.
“But she started and went from there.
“I get angry easily and find it difficult to let things go, so we are both equally to blame.
“I didn’t let my dog deliberately mess up his path.
“I was going to come clean but Gemma found out before I had the chance.
“I’m so happy it’s over now.
“When I saw Gemma so upset that time, I knew I needed to help and we both realized how crazy we were.
“I’m so glad we can laugh about this – she’s become not only a great neighbor, but a great friend.”
How to complain about a neighbor to the council
If you have tried and failed to resolve your neighborhood problem by talking to your neighbor, you can contact your local council.
Before approaching your council, you should always try to reach an agreement with your neighbors.
Consider mediation with neighbors before instructing lawyers to try to resolve disputes.
If your behavior turns into verbal abuse and intimidation, it could be classed as antisocial behavior.
You can ask the police to get involved when your neighbors are disorderly or reckless, damage your property, or throw away trash.
In this case, injunctions may be imposed, fines may be imposed or the courts may issue Criminal Behavior Orders (previously known as ASBOs).
In extreme cases, nuisance neighbors may be evicted or relocated.
You need to keep a record of all incidents so you can report the problem accurately.
In an emergency, such as if your neighbor physically attacks you, always call 999.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
