'I'll call the police': Neighbour's bizarre threat to Aussie gardener
When you're working from home the noises in your surrounding streets can irritate you, but is this reaction a step too far?
A disgruntled neighbour has lashed out at a gardener who he claims was "making too much noise" simply by mowing the grass at a residential home last month.
Jason Selmes, from Lush Cut Lawns, was called to the home to treat the overgrown lawn, but one resident threatened to call the police if the noise didn't stop.
With many people still working from home during the day, the sound of mowing can be distracting and even frustrating for some. In a video shared on YouTube, Mr Selms was seen tackling the wild grass in the front yard of the property when suddenly a man approaches him.
Neighbour lashes out at gardener
Ms Selms explained he'd been there for two hours already, which proved far too long for the angry resident who demanded he stopped.
"Mate, I’m just from up the road, how long are you going to be doing this for?" the neighbour said, appearing frustrated by the noise. "All morning you’ve given me a f***ing headache. You need to finish it up".
Mr Selmes, who was called to the property in Blacktown, told him he'd likely need another couple of hours to finish off insisting he's "allowed to mow lawns". But the angry resident threatened to call the police if the gardener didn't leave.
"Let me tell you again, I’m going to be a nice guy, 15 minutes alright? 15 minutes before I call the police. I can’t have this all morning," he said.
Gardener stands up to angry resident
Mr Selmes defended his right to mow the lawn at any time of day during "reasonable hours".
"I’m allowed to mow lawns in the morning or any time during the day between reasonable hours," he said. "The neighbours have seen this lawn bad, and no one has even bothered to come and help them. I’m here mowing the lawn, I’m here to help somebody out, that’s all I’m here to do".
The fed-up neighbour threatened to call the police again, sticking to his 15-minute limit. "Fifteen minutes, I’ll call the police. You make up your own mind," he said.
"Go and call the police then, I don’t really care. Seeya!" Mr Selmes replied.
After eventually walking away the gardener said to the camera it was the first time he'd had such an encounter.
"Well, that’s a first. It took me a year and a half for someone to complain about the noise. Oh well, what’s he going to do? It’s not against the law,' he said.
"Tough sh** as they say. I’m just here to do a job and that’s it. People can be kind of weird, hey."
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Social media reacts to 'angry Ken'
The video has been viewed more than 1.8 million times with people hitting out at the "Angry Ken" — the name given to a male version of a "Karen".
"After that encounter with that miserable neighbour, I would have definitely taken my time and made sure every inch of that property was perfect! You handled it better than I would have, great job with that and the lawn clean up," one said.
"He is the same type of neighbour I had who would yell at the kids for laughing too loud as they played outside. Blessings to you for not letting him bring you down," said another.
"I would rather hear a noise for a day or 2 than have an unkept yard nearby for years," wrote a third.
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