| Pete’s claims come after police were called to his flat in Dundee “five or six times” since he moved in October, following complaints from downstairs neighbours David Maxwell and partner Grace Smith, who said he was regularly hosting all-night parties with his bandmates and friends.
Dundee City Council and Tayside Police have confirmed they have investigated complaints about neighbourhood annoyance at that address.
However, the 22-year-old guitarist with the chart-topping band says he wants to set the record straight and show he’s not a “neighbour from hell”.
“I’m just a young boy in my first flat. I’ve bought it and I want to get on with my neighbours,” he told the Tele.
“I’ve not had loads of late-night parties and I don’t play music really loudly at late hours, it’s just that the people complaining can hear us talking while we’re on the computer or watching football on TV.
“The other day I was playing my acoustic guitar at the back of six, then two or three of my pals came up and we put on the Playstation.
“The police came to the door at quarter to ten saying they’d had a complaint that there was loud guitar music twenty minutes before, but we were on the computer from about seven.
“It’s gone beyond a joke, I’m not saying I’m a total angel but I don’t have massive parties, usually just two or three friends round, which I should be allowed to do in my own flat, as well as practice on my acoustic guitar.
“All the other neighbours are fine with me and they say they don’t understand what the problem is.
“But the couple downstairs have complained about quite a few of the neighbours, it’s like they’re serial complainers.
“When I moved in there was a carpet and the floorboards were all squeaky. I had new flooring put in with good underlay and it’s much better now.
“But they complained when I was getting it fitted. The guy was fitting it after he finished his work, it wasn’t like it was after ten o’clock or anything.
“I had three or four people up after the Caird Hall gig just before Christmas and the police came up. They (the complainers) said they could hear voices, but it wasn’t excessive.
“Then they complained because we had people in on Christmas night. But we can hear them talking and raising their voices downstairs. It’s just what you hear in flats.”
Pete’s next door neighbours said they didn’t want to become involved but confirmed they have had no problems with him.
Other neighbours confirmed the police had been no strangers to the property to deal with complaints about noise over several years before Pete moved in. |
