One in three Brits admit to curtain twitching - with Cardiff home to the NOSIEST neighbours

One in three Brits admit to curtain twitching - with Cardiff emerging as home to the nation’s NOSIEST neighbours.

New research from Anglian Home Improvements has revealed the lengths Brits go to to spy on people next door, with a third of people admitting to regular curtain twitching, 27 percent saying they turn the television down to listen to arguments, 15 percent peeping over the garden fence to get a better look at their neighbours - and as many as one in ten regularly coming out into the street in their dressing gown, in the style of Last of the Summer Wine’s Nora Batty.

But the survey found those living in the Welsh capital are MOST likely to keep tabs on their neighbours’ movements, with one in ten confessing to being fascinated by their comings and goings.

Other nosey neighbours are likely to reside in Norwich, Nottingham and Liverpool, according to the research findings.

Offering to take neighbours’ kids to school to get all the gossip, inviting themselves over to take a closer look at home improvements, and even peering through letterboxes were other ways Brits like to keep tabs on nearby residents.

However, according to the poll, as many as one in twenty have EVEN gone through a neighbour’s belongings while they were supposed to be feeding their pets or watering their plants.

Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of UK adults class their neighbours as good friends, but 60 percent brushed them off as ‘people they talk to from time to time’. One in ten said they didn’t know any of their neighbours and one in twenty claimed they couldn’t stand them.

Over a third (35 percent) said they were often envious of their neighbours’ home improvements, with a new car and new kitchen the most common things to be jealous of.

One in ten were green with envy when nearby residents got a new front door, and one in five were left bitter and twisted when they purchased a new sofa. Loft conversions, new windows and fancy conservatories also left Brits envious.

A spokesperson for Anglian Home Improvements who commissioned the poll of 1,000 people said: “From time to time we are all guilty of seeing what our neighbours get up to. It’s only natural to have a look out of the window if you see something going on in your neighbourhood and to take an interest when someone is having work done to their house.

“Although it may seem annoying to have neighbours who curtain twitch, having nearby residents who know your movements can actually be a blessing when it comes to home security, so it’s actually not all bad!”

According to the poll, the average Brit hears their neighbours having a blazing row approximately eight times a year, and 12 percent of us admit to trying to hear what they are fighting about.

But 15 percent of those surveyed said it really annoyed them when their neighbours interfered in their business.

58 percent of men who completed the poll said their wives and girlfriends were much more likely to curtain twitch than they were.

Despite keeping tabs on their comings and goings, 70 percent of adults are happy to take in parcels for their neighbours, half are willing to keep an eye out if any other residents go on holiday, and ten percent are even happy to babysit their neighbours’ children.

BRITAIN’S NOSIEST NEIGHBOURS
1. Cardiff
2. Norwich
3. Nottingham
4. Liverpool
5. Sheffield
6. Plymouth
7. Newcastle
8. Brighton
9. Birmingham
10. Belfast

SIGNS OF A NOSEY NEIGHBOUR

1. Curtain twitched (30 percent)
2. Turned the TV or radio down so you can listen to goings on (27 percent)
3. Peeked through blinds (22 percent)
4. Opened a window so you can hear more of a conversation (21 percent)
5. Spied when they get a new delivery (20 percent)
6. Peeped over the garden fence while they are having a BBQ (15 percent)
7. Came outside in your dressing gown to see what was going on (12 percent)
8. Cupped your ear to the wall (11 percent)
9. Taken a parcel for a neighbour and had a sneaky peek inside (9 percent)
10. Popped over so you could see a new kitchen/conservatory (8 percent)
11. Put an empty glass to the wall (5 percent)
12. Snooped when you were meant to be watering the plants or feeding pets (5 percent)
13. Taken food or treats over as an excuse to see the inside of their home (3 percent)
14. Had a look at their letters or mail (3 percent)
15. Looked through their letterbox or window when they were on holiday (2 percent)

Contact harriet@gingercomms.com for more details