Noisy neighbours named as Britain's biggest nuisance - we show you how to take action

Helen used to love the way light streamed through her kitchen window.

There isn't much light coming in today.

There's a wall in front of her window now, and for years Helen's been at war with the neighbour who built it.

The extension has gone all the way up, blocking out 100% of the light into this room.

It's just so intrusive, it's literally, you feel like the wall is in your house as well.

My whole life's been intruded, and there's nothing I can do about it.

Helen's neighbour says the extension was above board and has already compensated her for the light loss.

But today's figures say more than a quarter of us are suffering from more everyday niggles with next door.

Loud voices and arguing is top of the list of neighbourly annoyances.

41% of people had problems with it.

29% were disturbed by music and TVs being turned up too loud and slamming doors drove 27% of people up the wall.

When people have a neighbor complaint, the first thing that we always recommend is that they speak to their neighbor.

Try wherever possible to resolve the issue between yourself and your neighbor.

At the end of the day, you have to go on probably living next to them.

So the more that community relations can be preserved, the better.

Have you had problems with your neighbors?

Yes.

What happened?

One neighbour was letting her child run up and down the flat above me for nine hours at a time.

Immature neighbours, you've had that.

Don't care for anybody else, just for themselves.

We talk.

If there's a problem, you talk.

That's the way it should be.

You don't want enemies.

I don't want enemies in life.

I want friends.

You never know when you're going to need your neighbours.

One find which might surprise you is that young people reported having much more trouble with the neighbours than the over 65s.

But whatever the age, the advice on keeping relations rosy is have a word over the fence before you complain to the council.

Dominic Reynolds, 5 News.