Neighbourhood disputes

In the UK in 1988 it was estimated that 25% of households on an estate were suffering from long-standing disputes with a neighbour. Most indicated that the quality of their lives had declined because of their inability to find a solution to the situation, whether noise, children's misbehaviour, broken fences, dumping of rubbish, boundary encroachment, deprivation of light, odours, badly parked cars or other forms of insensitivity. Although the issues may initially be minor, over time they acquire much greater significance, occasionally leading to violence.