When we trundled off to bed last night, just after one, we shut the windows at the front of the house, and the door to the living room and kitchen, because the noisesome arse across the road had just come in and flipped on his stereo at top volume again.

After all, it’s way after midnight; the street is dark and quiet; everyone seems to be asleep or on their way to bed; what else to do but whack on some thumping drum’n'bass? And while you’re at it, crank it as loud as it will go. Go on, all the way to eleven.

We shut the doors and went off to bed.

Now eight hours later, I’m up and on my way out to the gym - but first, I pop into the living room to check my mail. What do I hear? Oom-cha oom-cha thumk thunk from across the road. His window is still wide open, the thumping bass comes tumbling out. Either he’s started again, or he never stopped.

Sigh. There are two things I don’t get: one, how his closer neighbours cope - surely they must be able to hear and feel the thumping bass throughout the night. Do they just have higher noisy-twat-tolerance than I do? Or a lifetime supply of earplugs?

The other thing I don’t understand is how a person thinks that that sort of behaviour is totally fine and has no impact on anyone else - or alternatively knows that it’s loud and irritating and disturbs half the street but just doesn’t care. Are people really that selfish?