I HAVE lived on Evesham Road in Crabbs Cross for many years and I think I can honestly say we have never had noisy neighbour problems until fairly recently.

Those of us who live here can confirm that living here is a noise problem all by itself.

Cars, lorries and buses roaring along the road, car horns and alarms, business alarms always going off, late-night revellers and drunks, people who have nothing better to do than scream and shout their way along the road, etc.

Recently though, since the finer weather started, residents have had two choices - either to put up with loud music being played in neighbouring gardens or go indoors and shut themselves in, denying themselves the sunshine and peace and quiet of their own gardens.

I am writing in the hope that not only will this plea reach the people who are subjecting their neighbours to this unwanted entertainment but also others in Redditch who may now start thinking about the noise they themselves make in their gardens.

These "I'll play my music as loud as I like in my own garden" people may be interested to know one of their neighbours collapsed and lay seriously ill, all alone, in his garden, in full sun, for roughly two hours.

Did he perhaps call out for assistance? Was he laying there moaning? Did anyone hear him fall?

Well, no. Because someone was playing music so loud, all the other residents had gone inside and closed their doors and windows.

I'm told he was eventually found by a member of his family when they arrived home, was rushed to hospital and, at the time of writing, is still there.

No-one is blaming the music-playing neighbours for the neighbour's collapse but really, did that music have to be so loud that other neighbours couldn't stand it and had no option but to go indoors? Have people not heard of personal stereos?

May I, through the Advertiser, make an appeal, not only to these people but to all the people of Redditch - don't just think about what YOU want but about everyone else too.

If we can all just spare a thought for each others' comfort, then maybe we can all get along a little better and not annoy one another quite so much.

Let's respect each other's right to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet in our gardens away from all our problems for a while.

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