Fireplace problem

[Snuggly]

About four years ago when I was a council tenant my adjourning neighbour who owns their house came round and just said there would be some noise as they was decorating and doing some d.i.y. He did not say what they would be doing.
I had three weeks of horrendous banging on the party wall. A few days after they had finished they put a photo on social media showing they had reopened up their fireplace and installed a beam across it put a large tv on the party wall with a sound bar.
He had put a sky box etc in where he had opened up their fireplace.
A few days later I was taking off the skirting board on my own blocked up fireplace neighbour was round in seconds I thought this odd him wanting to know what I was doing.
But last year I purchased my council house where my solicitor explained the party wall act I hadn’t even heard about it before.
But also a month ago I had a stove installed in my other room not a party wall in there.
I showed the chap doing my fireplace my other fireplace and told him how loud I could hear the neighbours tv etc and couldn’t see how he had fitted a sky box in his fireplace as the chimney breast is only 14 inches dept to where it meets the party wall,my builder said it was likely my neighbour had breached the party wall.
So I decided to wait till my neighbours was out and drill a hole Where my fireplace has been blocked up .then got a endoscope to take a look ,there was a lot of what looks like firebricks broken up and laying in my fireplace with what look like brick wall at the back.
I can not see whoever blocked my fireplace in would break up the firebricks at the back to me that doesn’t make sense .
I must add I do not know have anything to do with my neighbours long story but he wrecked my brand new fence .
As it’s been about four years since he did this work and did not comply with the party wall act which at the time as I was a council tenant knew nothing about. Is there any action I can take if it is found he has caused damage. And who is the best person to check my fireplace out for damage please.
Also not long after he carried out this work I had their cooking smells coming through under my stairs which I managed to stop as it was coming through where my fuse box is on the party wall and the smell was coming through gaps where the cables went through so silicone the gaps.
Any advice please I know nothing about building etc I might add he and his friend did the work not a builder.

[bungeejumper]

So I decided to wait till my neighbours was out and drill a hole Where my fireplace has been blocked up .then got a endoscope to take a look ,there was a lot of what looks like firebricks broken up and laying in my fireplace with what look like brick wall at the back.
I can not see whoever blocked my fireplace in would break up the firebricks at the back to me that doesn’t make sense.

It sounds like you need better advice than I can give you. But yes, any breach of the party wall would be a serious matter. Actually, what worries me more is the thought that your neighbour may have dismantled the brick half-chimney breast on his side and left it unsupported. He wouldn't be the first person to do that, and it can seriously weaken the structure of the building, because chimney breasts are one f the main strong points of the property.

I'm not so worried about the fire bricks that are lying in your chimney alcove, and I don't think it's necessarily a sign that he's broken through to your side. Fire brick/fire clay is very brittle once it's been heated up by a fire a few times, and even though it looks (and is) strong and stable after that, it's a riddled mass of tiny invisible cracks from where it's settled into position. This is normal. But it's very possible that the bashing from his side has shaken your fire bricks into collapse, just from the vibration, whereas they'd have stood for decades without his help.

That's as far as I can take you really. As for the noise from his Sky box, there are nuisance regulations for that sort of thing. Councils' environmental officers are there for that sort of thing.

BJ