Neighbour trouble

motherofstudents

There's nothing worse than neighbour problems I think because your home should be the place you feel safe and comfortable. Try planting Berberis (big spikes), or pyracantha. It's probably the best you can do as people like her seem to like confrontation and it can become very bullying. I hope you can find a solution.

chirpychick

I hate the fact some people on here are saying things like "so they haven't actually broken your windows" and "if your whole house shakes then that is a bigger problem".
This kind of situation shows a complete lack of respect from the child and the mother for property and people.
I would put up a trellis of some kind and stop answering the door/giving the ball back.
If they enter your garden record it if you can (you can do this on most mobile phones) report it as trespassing.
Contact the council too. If they are housing association tenants then repeatedly phoning the council and making complaints each time it happens may make a difference.

MrsE_2

Heffi1 wrote: »

Puncture the ball and give it back and do it for every ball that subsequently gets kicked into your garden, they will soon get the message. Threaten to call the police if she is found to be trespassing on your property.

Alternately you could buy a ball and spend all evening kicking it against her house once her child has gone to bed...

I think by law you can't keep or damage balls though?

I suffer this from my neighbours - boy next door has destroyed 8 fence panels. I throw balls back over the fence that leads to a public path now rather than into his garden. I think that's fair enough, as I cannot be sure where they come from.......

Irony

Keep some dog poo aside. Bouncy,bouncy,let them collect ball.

tina_malteser

i would take a look at trespassing laws!

folkestonelisa

We had a neighbour with three boys that kicked their balls against the back wall that joins the houses, constant thuding then they would kick it against the fence so we had ball shaped holes everywhere that they said we had done.
I threw the balls back when they came in our garden, i couldnt help the fact they got punctured landing on nails in our garden. In the end of nine months of constant kicking for over two hours every night, in the rain and the cold we gave in and moved.
Even me who is the most placid person every wanted to throttle the mum and the kids.
It was damaging my health and my hubbys and causing us to row over it.

Moved and now we have peace and quiet. :T

MrsE_2

folkestonelisa wrote: »

We had a neighbour with three boys that kicked their balls against the back wall that joins the houses, constant thuding then they would kick it against the fence so we had ball shaped holes everywhere that they said we had done.
I threw the balls back when they came in our garden, i couldnt help the fact they got punctured landing on nails in our garden. In the end of nine months of constant kicking for over two hours every night, in the rain and the cold we gave in and moved.
Even me who is the most placid person every wanted to throttle the mum and the kids.
It was damaging my health and my hubbys and causing us to row over it.

Moved and now we have peace and quiet. :T

Awful that it drove you out of your home!
I wouldn't let them affect me that much.
Unfortunately I have to stump up for 8 fence panels that have been destroyed, they say they broke because they were old (& they were) but all the other old panels that are not in the football area are still standing.
Anyway police were involved & they have agreed to put a second fence up to protect my next fence (local bobby suggested this to them). So he can damage their fence to his hearts content & I will throw the balls back - over the public area:D after all I can't be 100% sure they are his, so I wouldn't want to risk throwing them in the wrong garden:A

dizziblonde

If they go over our fence then they have to take the risk that our dogs might be out using the back garden and Jaws-o-matic isn't very kind to balls. And yes, those being driven nuts by the constant bang bang bang of the ball have my sympathy - the kids out back do it to us (between the kids banging and the adults hot-tubbing, plus what seems like the entire garden lighting section of B+Q aimed at our house it's not fun at the moment) and it drives you up the wall by about hour number four of it. Actually, it's not so much the banging as the constant shouted commentary like they're on MOTD that drives me bonkers.

If she's actually making threats to enter your garden I'd be ringing the local police non-emergency number though and asking them for advice and help because that's just not on and you shouldn't have to live under that kind of stress... can you not get a bit of chain and a padlock and loop it around the hingey bit of your bin or somewhere similar (I'm assuming you've got a wheelie one similar in design to ours) so she can't easily move it and use it to climb the fence?

Unbroken windows, shaking house or whatever else people will use to muddy the waters and turn this around to it being "your" fault my backside - it's not fair for you to have to be threatened by some yobbo mum threatening to trespass onto your property.

princeofpounds

I think by law you can't keep or damage balls though?

In theory, if you find yourself in possession of someone else's property, a 'bailment' has been established and you are supposed to make reasonable efforts to look after it and allow an opportunity to collect it.

BUT; if you don't, the only legal remedy is to sue in the civil courts. You can only claim for real loss or damage. So they can only claim the value of a football. A second hand football. And that is a trifle a court would not waste time on.

As for trespass, it is not illegal in England and Wales. Again, it's a civil issue and you can only claim for loss or damage. Although there are other aspects like breach of the peace or harassment.

Anyway, the main point is that this is unlikely to be a legal issue for some time and that's why self-help measures like trellis and spiky hedging are so useful, even though it's a shame.

FatVonD

Keep a bowl of sloppy dog poo, when it comes over, dip it in and throw it back and hope they catch it