More people are turning to professional help to solve disputes with their neighbours about noise and fences and other mainly outdoor issues, the AD said on Tuesday.

Last year, 15,000 people registered at the crime prevention centre CCV for help in dealing with their neighbours, a rise of 2,000 on 2016, the CVV said.

There is no clear reason for the increase but people do have an increasingly short fuse, a spokeswoman said. ‘People live in their own bubble and think they should be able to do whatever they like, but face increasing nuisance from others,’ the spokesman told the paper.

In total, 286 of the Netherlands 380 local authority areas offer counseling and in seven out of 10 times, the problems are solved, the spokesman said.

Noise, garden fences, tree branches and smoke issues caused by barbecues are among the most common problems.