Living close to neighbours can sometimes bring about frustrating encounters, from encroaching on shared spaces to generating excessive noise. One particular individual has been dealing with an ongoing annoyance: the sound of incessantly running water from their neighbour’s garden. The water has now started to flood into their own garden, leading to a frustrating situation.
Taking to Reddit to vent their exasperation, an anonymous resident from Northern Ireland shared the exasperating predicament.
They wrote: “For the last couple of months I’ve heard constant running water from the neighbours garden, and it’s started to flood into our garden and pool/puddle.
Describing their neighbours as reclusive and rarely seen or heard from, the frustrated individual attempted to engage them in a conversation by knocking on their door. However, their efforts were met with silence.
Finally, fate intervened when both parties coincidentally encountered each other on the street, stepping out of their cars simultaneously.
Seizing the opportunity, the resident mentioned the ongoing issue of running water and questioned whether there might be a burst outdoor pipe or tap causing the problem.
They said: “Yesterday, finally bumped into them on the street as we both got out our cars at the same time. Said to them I could hear running water and wondered if there was a burst outdoor pipe/tap.”
The neighbours’ response left the resident dumbfounded. He detailed: “They looked at me like I was mad, and said ‘oh no, that’s just the bathroom tap outlet, we leave the bathroom tap running constantly so the cats can help themselves to fresh water. The tap has been on for 13 years'”
They added: “They looked at me like I was the crazy one for not realising this. I was actually too taken aback to say anything and just was like ehhhhh okay…when I got back into the house I realised how mental it was.
“It’s a total pain in the a**e, the noise is so loud from outside and it’s puddling in our garden… never mind the sheer waste of it all. Have I any comeback here? Surely this isn’t allowed?”
The Reddit post garnered a flurry of responses, with many expressing disbelief at the notion of a tap running uninterrupted for 13 years.
One incredulous commenter exclaimed, “That is f_ing bonkers.” Another said: “Selfish f_er! Try that inordinate water wastage through a meter, and then pay for it. Little wonder the Water Service cannot keep up.”
Several individuals advised the resident to reach out to the local council or Northern Ireland Water to address the issue.
In response, the original poster added, She just said it’s a bathroom tap – so I’m assuming it’s the internal bathroom tap and it’s coming down via an external downpipe where the flooding is.
“I’m going to try and talk to them again and see if they can turn it off, really hesitant to make a complaint as I don’t want a war with the neighbours – it’ll be obvious that it’s me that’s raised the issue if they’ve been doing it for 13 years!”
The post does not clarify whether the neighbours have a water meter or if they are unmeasured customers who pay a fixed fee for water. Nonetheless, the water service emphasises the importance of water conservation for everyone. Their website offers practical tips, such as turning off taps while washing hands, brushing teeth, or shaving, as this simple action can save over six litres of water per minute.
Plumber Richard Burke previously told The Journal leaving taps running can cause “problems elsewhere” in the plumbing including blocking drains and sinks filling up and overflowing.
This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up Express.co.uk’s editorial research. A news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to readercomplaints@reachplc.com.
