Kids playing on high wall

aileth

Hi all, we live in an end terrace. The garden is a few metres above street level(On a hill) so we have steps with a wall leading up to it connected to the public footpath. The wall next to the steps gets to about eight to nine foot above the public footpath. I went out tonight to the dog barking to find kids actually stood on the highest part of the wall playing. If they had fallen from there, it would've been some serious, serious injury.

Now I'm paranoid about kids playing on the steps and have kept checking all tonight since, but I'm really worried that they do it when we are at work. As from earlier posts, the families around here wouldn't win any parenting awards, no supervision, and in fact one of them was hanging out of the window (mother of one of them on the ground), screeching at me that it wasn't her son on the wall (so obviously couldn't be bothered telling the lad stood there how dangerous it is)

I really, really don't know how to stop them doing it. The wall is sloping and at the lowest point probably too low for a gate to put them off (3-4 ft max) and the wall is stepped so adding a mini fence would be awfully difficult. I'm just terrified that I'm going to come home one day and one of the little cherubs has been playing, fallen off and cracked his head wide open or broken something, and I can foresee now us getting the blame and bullied by the mothers because its our wall!


Any advice?

Tish_P

Difficult one. Barbed wire? Or grow some really thorny plants up it? It might be worth writing to the police so if, god forbid, anything happens there is evidence that you have tried hard to prevent any incidents. Good luck.

j.e.j.

I wouldn't be too worried about them going for the Darwin awards, but it might be worth getting some advice as to where you'd stand legally if anyone were to get injured or worse. I can't reasonably see how you could be held responsible for people who insist on climbing very high walls, but the law may see it differently.

aileth

Already have thorny plants growing where we can. They stick out next to the top part and some of the leaves have been picked off...

PasturesNew

Anti climb paint - it'll get all over their clothes; it never dries. Their mum'll give them a clip round their ear and they won't be allowed there any more.

aileth

PasturesNew wrote: »

Anti climb paint - it'll get all over their clothes; it never dries. Their mum'll give them a clip round their ear and they won't be allowed there any more.

Doesn't it have to be over a certain height? Thought it was six foot. If it is, they pull themselves up at the 3-4 foot part and walk along the rest, won't it make it slippery for them??

Also the wall is a favourite resting spot of our cat and we have cream carpets although of course stained carpets are better then injured kids, I don't wanna have to replace my carpets because of trying to keep silly kids away!

dandelionclock30

I'd get fencing attached to the top of the wall, where the top of each plank ends in a point. A fencing place will be able to do this even if its sloping.They then wont be able to climb on it at all. It sound'nt cost too much.

sleepymans

I think I might get a sign put up saying something like "Danger - loose masonry/broken glass" obviously there isnt any...but at least they will then be climbing clearly at their own risk.

The other thing that might be effective is to overlook the area with a webcam/camcorder set up in the window, even if you dont go to the bother to connect it or record anything, its a case of having a deterrant.
Shame the little darlings havent got an open access playscheme locally........