An Aberdeenshire mum has described being at her “wits end” as she hears constant noise from next door – to the point of hearing her neighbour “turn over in his bed”.
The noise started when the adjoining home to Jaqueline Robertson’s semi-detached bungalow in Turriff was renovated in February last year.
The 53-year-old says since then, she has had little to no insulation in her home, forcing her to hear every movement in her neighbour’s house.
Cracks have also started to appear in her walls – but Miss Robertson says “nobody is listening to me”, despite informing Aberdeenshire Council on numerous occasions.
Instead, the woman claims she has been told by the council that “yes, men can be noisy” and that she is not due an upgrade on her insulation.
However, Aberdeenshire Council say they are in ongoing discussions with Miss Robertson and insist a thermal survey is being organised to better understand any issues.
During lockdown, Miss Robertson described three months of “absolute hell” as she put up with her neighbours snoring – at one point admitting she “flipped” – taking her ornament cats and “hammering them off the wall”.
It’s left the Turriff resident “depressed” and seeking treatment for anxiety.
She also added that she is “terrified” at the prospect of another cold winter as draughts force their way through the cracks of her home.
‘The house was absolutely freezing’
Miss Robertson said: “It is everyday noises but I just shouldn’t be able to hear them.
“The council have been adamant that there is adequate insulation in the walls but I have been behind the wall and there is absolutely nothing there.
“There is my plaster board and then there is a 2-and-a-half-inch gap and then it’s a concrete wall.
“Cracks have appeared outside and inside the property – they said it was just the house settling but the house has been built for about 50 years.”
“Last year the house was absolutely freezing,” she added.
“I told them all this for months. They got new radiators in February last year and my heating has been on pretty much the whole time because there has been draughts coming from the wall.
“Now I am moving out my house at the weekend just to get some peace and quiet.
“It’s just the way that they are treating people. I cannot believe that they are carrying this on for this long.
“I am getting more and more depressed. If somebody phones me I used to be quite upbeat but now I don’t feel that anymore.
“I have told them I have got COPD, the cold affects me and with it coming up to winter again I am terrified its going to be exactly the same and they have just done absolutely nothing.”
The woman even claims the stress has led to a hernia forming due to her shifting the furniture about that much to try and block the draughts and mask the noise.
She said: “I get people have everyday noises but this is beyond the level that I should be able to hear it at.
“I am sick of excuses and Covid being blamed for this and that. I find it quite intimidating because I am here myself.
“Their excuses are just absolutely ridiculous and they shouldn’t be able to treat people like that.”
Council response
A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “We are in ongoing discussion with the tenant about their concerns and a thermal survey is being organised to better understand what issues there may be concerning the level of insulation and thermal efficiency of the property.”
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