Can we stop our neighbour warming up his Ford Transit van and filling our house with fumes?
We have a next-door neighbour who backs his Ford Transit Connect diesel up to his house. In the morning at about 6:30am to 7:00am he wakes us up starting the engine and then leaves it running for half an hour or more. He says it is to warm up the systems (it is a rapid response van). He usually keeps his house windows closed, but we prefer fresh air and have ours open. I would like your advice on whether there is too much pollution from all the nasties in diesel fuel fumes to be healthy (we can certainly smell it). Our houses are about six feet apart and our nearest window is first floor about 12 feet from his exhaust pipe. Should we make an issue of it?
Asked on 9 November 2013 by RB, Croydon
Answered by
Honest John
Get onto your local council environmental people to ascertain if what he is doing is illegal. Yes, unless the van has a diesel particulate filter it will churn out partially combusted particulates that are hazardous to health. It doesn't even make any sense because even in winter a modern diesel engine is designed to be driven away from start-up, though, unless the van has a Quickclear windscreen (which a Ford might have), he may have a problem with a fogged-up screen that it is illegal to drive behind.
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