I hear ya, the sound of things on laminate floors can get taxing. Last summer, the next door neighbour (the same one who used to scream psychotically at his kids), his youngest had some plastic bike with fat wheels and the sound of those wheels rolling back and forth over the floor was the defining sound of the summer. He moved out eventually- god speed, good riddance but we always wait with trepidation to see what kind of freak/chav/psycho will be next.
The UK public provides such a rich tapestry of humanity and we are, as you know, blessed with luck at all times.