Annoying litte gits

smith33

Maybe you should show the kids that you are so strict. Don't try to send them away by hurting them, it's not a good thing to do :A. And try talking to the parents of the children and tell them what their children are doing, anyway, it's their fault that they are not teaching or scolding their children to play safely. If nothing happened after all, then, it's time to talk to the kids and frighten them.

Troubled_Joe

geoffky wrote: »

Tick tacks round the grass and axle grease the hedge ...

Don't leave sweets out for them - people might get the wrong idea.

woody252506

Tough one to call this.

It seems to be the the case that youngsters have 2 choices now.
They either hang about outside the local shops under age drinking and smoking creating an intimidaing environment and generally doing no good or playing ball games and damaging peoples cars/property.
As someone has said, how old are they?

If they are under, say 12/13, then personally I would much rather see them out playing football in the street doing what I used to as a kid. Apart from a few flat plants and your hedge been a bit worse off at 1 side I dont think there is too much to get wound up over. We were all kids like them and did the same.

If they are 14 + and at the age where playing football with a full size leather ball means there is a near certainty of some expensive damage (Broken windows, damaged car) then its a different story.

mum.s

Hope this helps, from the CAB Site



Noisy children


Noisy children in themselves are not a ‘nuisance’. If someone is disturbed by a neighbour’s children, for example, a shift worker who wants to sleep during the day, the only real solution is a conciliatory approach to the neighbour.

Damage done by children


If a neighbour’s child causes damage to a property, a conciliatory approach to settle the matter is probably the best solution. Legally, the child can be sued for damages if they are old enough to know what they were doing. In practice, this is unrealistic since few courts would look favourably on such an action, and a child is unlikely to have much money to pay any damages. However, the parents of the child may be liable for negligence and damages if they have trusted the child with something dangerous that was beyond their capability to use responsibly, for example, an air gun. The parents may also be liable if they have failed to exercise the control that would be expected of a parent given the child’s age.

Balls and ball games


If a child throws a ball into a neighbour’s property, the neighbour should either hand it back or allow it to be collected. However, as it is a trespass for the ball to cross the neighbour’s boundary, even if it was unintentional, the neighbour would be entitled to financial compensation if any damage has been caused.

Also

A friend of mine went to speak to the parents of boys playing football on a green opposite them, as it had made a right mess of their hedge, they told the parents they didn't mind the boys playing football as long as they kicked it at there own house and not theres, he also told the parents that he would have to bill the parents should any more damage happen to the hedge or cars, they did move but since have gone back on the green, away from my friends house, but this is due to a ball going through two windows of the kids parents house.

orlao

I have a lot of sympathy OP....I live near a bus stop (with a shelter) and you get gangs of kids hanging around, particularly in the summer. I really try not to be a miserable cow and ignore the noise until 10:30- 11pm and then I'll wander out and ask them to quieten down please. Up until now, they were usually ok, little bit of lip now and again from the gobbier ones but I'm not easily intimadated so after a minute or two of "Was that rudeness really required?" "Is this how you speak to people who make a pleasant request" "I'm sure your parents are very proud of you!" in a very snotty (and disappointed tone) they would shut up!All 14 - 16 years old approx and not bad kids really......

In the last couple of weeks, we have had a group of young lads hanging about - youngest and worst is no more than 12 - and the vandalism has to be seen to be believed. I walked in the other evening about 9pm and there was 4 of them just booting my fence, they had already flattened my neighbours. Needless to say, I asked what the hell they were doing and one of the little s***ts fronted me up, waving a bl00dy cricket bat at me - not one of them is over 14 yo - I've never been so angry and got the bat and threatened to stick it where the sun don't shine.....still had 4 of them trying to crowd me, couldn't believe their nerve. One of them made the mistake of trying to follow me up the path but as I opened the front door and 3 dogs came flying out, he soon left.

I spoke to a mate of mine (copper) and yes, they know the youngest kid and apparently he keeps on getting away with this type of behaviour as he has special needs (anger management????) but that the police will "keep an eye out" in my area. Anyway, they showed up again last night, kicking seven bells out of the bus shelter so I went out, all cool, calm and collected and pointed out that my fence was the only thing keeping 3 large dogs away from them, so maybe damaging it could be a bit of an own goal and anyway what was the point of wrecking things? The language and attitude I got back shocked even me - and from such young kids, the threats that "their dads wil be round and then I'll be sorry" and so forth. Who the hell is breeding these little s0ds? They didn't lick this attitude off the wall, as the saying goes....

Sorry about the rant.

poppysarah

Get CCTV.
Good quality CCTV
We witnessed a fireworks fight last week and I'm pleased to say that what we caught on camera has shocked even the hardened coppers so there's been a couple of fixed penalities handing out and a possible court trip for one of the others (Police still hopeful of ID'ing the rest of them too and fp'ing them)
It's also more evidence towards getting our problem area gated off.

Dave101t

it is vandalism at best, criminal damage at worst so i would photograph them and report it to the police. immediately.

its not 'fun' to have your property damaged!

Aspiring

Have a chat with you local council and see if there are any by-laws regarding ball games.

I had this problem years ago with the two houses opposite us. Their lads would be out playing football in the road and their skills were not good - balls bouncing off our car (parked in the drive of our home), balls bouncing off the lounge windows.

I asked the lads, nicely.
I asked the parents, nicely.

Neither worked. It wasn't simply that I was worried about my car/windows/property either; I was equally concerned about them being in the road.

One day, as I opened the front door, it coincided with the ball heading towards my front door - yup! - straight through the hallway, just missing one of my two toddlers.

I refused to give it back at that point and said they could ask their parents to arrange to get it back.

Mother came charging across the road, banging on my door, screaming at me that I was a "miserable slag" and to watch my back :rolleyes

However, there is a local by-law regarding playing football (don't know the precise details, it was a call to the Police that I found that out). Police visited them, don't know what was said. I do know it was the end of football in the road.

Yes and like others on this thread, there is a park not so far away.

I agree, kids should be kids; but I also think parents should be parents and either take them to the flipping park, or at least teach them respect for others.

sillyvixen

mum.s wrote: »

Hope this helps, from the CAB Site
If a child throws a ball into a neighbour’s property, the neighbour should either hand it back or allow it to be collected. However, as it is a trespass for the ball to cross the neighbour’s boundary, even if it was unintentional, the neighbour would be entitled to financial compensation if any damage has been caused.

i got home early today to find next doors pre-school child retrieving a ball from my flowerbed! i have a six foot fence around the property and the gate latch is 5 1/2 feet high - as he cant reach it his dad opens my gate and leaves it open for him to recieve the balls (TRESPASS!!) his father states that he paid for the balls and they have a right to them - i would return them on arrival home, and have done in the past, before unlocking my door!! i dont see calling the police is an option as they have beter things to do with their time - how do i make it known to the neighbours that their behavior is unacceptable!!

Willsnarf1983

can you padlock the door?

Will