A Nottingham man claims he is losing his sanity from the “hell” of anti-social neighbours that have caused him two years of sleepless nights.
Lorry driver Cristian Alexandru said the situation in Sneinton is so bad it has left him “wanting to die”, resulted in his wife being left without work for seven months, and the pair of them being diagnosed with health problems from their insomnia.
Their terraced house in Sneinton’s Sandringham Road was a peaceful place to live with their 16-year-old son until 2024, when housing provider Teen Support Services, which supports struggling youths and asylum seekers, took ownership of the property.
Since then, the Alexandrus have kept a log of the hundreds of times they have been woken up in the early hours by neighbours speaking loudly on the phone, playing football indoors, banging on the wall, or playing music.
Mr Alexandru, 45, said: “Sometimes I was pulling over in a lay-by and literally crying. I told passers-by that I wanted to die. The sleep deprivation was kicking in too hard. I couldn’t focus any more.
“We’re religious and I’ve wondered if I’d done something bad to somebody and been cursed. If God is testing me to see how much I can bear. But this is enough. They’ve destroyed our lives in two years. This is a hell.”
The couple moved to the UK from Romania in 2015, with Mr and Mrs Alexandru first living in Bleasby Street – just a few roads away from their current home on Sandringham Road – in 2017 or 2018.
They got on well with the previous neighbours, often sharing barbecues, before they moved out in 2024.
The next-door house was quiet for a month before the new occupants moved in, and problems started appearing two months later.
This culminated in Mr Alexandru knocking on the door in his underwear at 2 am to complain.
Those tenants were subsequently evicted from the property and the situation seemed to be resolved, but things turned bad again when the new tenants moved in.
Mr Alexandru complained about the newest issues to Nottingham City Council, who provided him with noise log sheets to fill in.
Papers from April 2024 show him recording “slamming the door, laughing loudly”, “playing football in the living room and hitting the wall”, and “screaming and arguing” at times between 11 pm and 4 am in the morning.
The issues subsided when Mr Alexandru complained and someone began visiting the property “every day” to supervise.
But in November 2025, the problems returned.
Logs from this period include the tenants “knocking with a hammer” on the wall, “singing, banging, slamming the doors”, “destroying something”, and “moving furniture”, sometimes all night long.
Mr Alexandru said he contacted Nottinghamshire Police multiple times and ended up sleeping in his car and on the sofa to try and escape the noise.
The lorry driver also revealed how he and his wife have been to the doctors about her insomnia, and said he’d even tried wearing his motorbike earplugs to block out the noise – but it was too loud.
Nottingham City Council has provided phone numbers for contacts at Teen Support Services, who have at times visited in the middle of the night to try to help settle the issue.
But the problem still continues, with Mrs Alexandru having been diagnosed with an overactive thyroid and Mr Alexandru diagnosed with high blood pressure, which he has to keep a daily record of.
He said: “I was so close to fainting in the lorry one time. I pulled into the first lay-by. My heart was racing because I knew what to expect. The lorry weighs 40 tonnes. If I fainted, I would’ve killed people.
“I’ve asked the council if they realise how bad sleep deprivation is. I’m losing my health, my sanity and I might die. They need to relocate these people. They don’t have respect, common sense or moral values.”
The couple say that while they are desperate to move house, destabilising their son’s routine means they cannot for another couple of years.
They are now seeking legal advice.
Mr Alexandru said: “This is serious. Someone needs to pay for this.”
A spokesperson for Nottingham City Council said: “We take reports of noise nuisance seriously and encourage residents experiencing ongoing disturbance to contact the Council so that we can assess the situation and take appropriate action where necessary. The Council investigates complaints in line with relevant legislation and works with residents, landlords and partner agencies to resolve issues wherever possible.
“Residents who are already in contact with the Council are encouraged to continue engaging with officers and to provide any additional information requested to support ongoing enquiries.”
