Raging Edinburgh locals are reporting disputes with neighbours at the rate of six-a-day, shock new figures obtained by Edinburgh Live reveal.
Figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws show there were a total of 2,204 antisocial behaviour complaints involving neighbours in 2021.
Top of the list of areas with the most disputes was the EH4 postcode, which reaches from Stockbridge to Cramond and Ravelston to Muirhouse.
Police Scotland records neighbour disputes as a subcategory of anti-social behaviour that usually refers to any disagreements between the neighbours that cause stress and tension.
Among the most common causes of neighbour disputes are noise, parking, property boundaries and overgrown greens complaints.
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According to the statistics obtained by EdinburghLive under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the capital's area with the partial code EH4 - which covers Muirhouse, Ravelston, Barnton, Cramond and part of Stockbridge - has recorded the largest number of anti-social behaviour instances related to disputes between the neighbours in 2021, with the total of 235 cases.
With only a slight difference, the EH11 area - along the A71 - follows with 233 cases of neighbourly disputes reported last year. The third in the top ten list is EH7 - the area between Edinburgh's city centre and Leith that also covers Restalrig and Craigentinny - at 213 cases of neighbourly disputes.
Here follows the full list of top ten Edinburgh areas ranked by the number of disputes the local neighbours had between themselves in 2021:
- EH4 - 235
- EH11 - 233
- EH7 - 213
- EH14 - 206
- EH6 - 205
- EH16 - 150
- EH5 - 140
- EH12 - 122
- EH15 - 122
- EH17 - 122
City council leader Cammy Day, who represents the Forth ward that includes EH4 postcodes, said: "It's concerning to see the number of neighbour disputes in the Eh4 neighbourhood. I'll be meeting with police and council officers to look at any particular issues that may need attention or support going forward."
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In 2020, the City of Edinburgh Council and Police Scotland developed a three-year strategy to tackle anti-social behaviour - including neighbour disputes - that included three elements. These are providing effective safeguarding, reducing vulnerability and practising early intervention and prevention to enable communities to be more inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe.
You can report anti-social behaviour via the City of Edinburgh Council's website here.
