Community divided after resident receives ‘rude’ letter complaining about laundry

An up-market neighbourhood is at war after one resident received a “ridiculous” anonymous letter with one seriously petty complaint.

A UK resident was stunned when he received a bizarre complaint letter recently — and the nasty note has now sparked outrage throughout his community.

Over the weekend, Tom Squires — who lives on Clarence Road in the up-market suburb of Harborne in Birmingham — woke to find the anonymous note slipped under his door.

It was signed off by the Clarence Road Residents Group, instead of any individual neighbour, and contains a strange gripe about the man’s washing.

“Please would you kindly take your laundry out of public view as it is rather unsightly and unpleasant. Many thanks,” the printed letter reads.

Mr Squires shared a snap of the letter on the Harborne Community Facebook group and asked fellow members for a contact within the group to discuss the matter further.

“Good morning, does anyone have any contact details for Clarence Road Residents’ Group? We’ve awoken to find a note posted through our door and would like to speak to them. Thanks in advance,” he posted.

However, his post inspired an immediate debate among Facebook users, attracting hundreds of angry comments.

One Facebook user branded the author of the note a “snob”, while another described it as “the most middle class problem I’ve ever seen”.

The note has outraged other residents. Picture: Facebook/Harborne Community

Others attacked the “aggressive”, “rude” and “cheeky” note, with one resident claiming: “The sense of entitlement in Harborne is actually overwhelming the place has no soul.”

Another neighbour revealed they had received a similar complaint in the past.

“Welcome to Clarence Road, mate. We got asked not to wash our car in the street not long after we moved in (no joke!)” that local wrote, while another added: “Blimey, this is beyond ridiculous. It’s your garden — hang whatever you bloody well like.”

Many members of the 13,000-strong Facebook group claimed they had never heard of the Clarence Road Residents Group and speculated the note was likely the work of a single disgruntled neighbour, while others urged Mr Squires to retaliate by hanging his washing out “in the nude” to really stir up some trouble.

And others pointed out owners had the right to hang out laundry in the privacy of their own backyard.

Clarence Rd, Harborne. Picture: Google

After being inundated by supportive comments, Mr Squires, a teacher, thanked his neighbours.

“Thank you everyone for your comments and support, especially from the wonderful people on our road who we love living alongside,” he wrote.

“We haven’t heard from the residents’ group but as I teach my students at school, it’s always better to resolve objections/conflict through dialogue so if you would like to discuss further please feel free to knock.”

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Originally published as Community divided after resident receives ‘rude’ letter complaining about laundry