Football 'trespass' clarification

Jenniefour

My next door neighbours have two little children and balls regularly come over the fence. But I don't have them knocking on my door immediately - the children have a plentiful supply of balls. The agreement is I just pop them back over the fence when I see them.

The children do try not to let the ball come over. Partly because I have a dog who's obsessed with balls and if he spots one first he will have his teeth into it straight away. End of ball. And partly because they and their parents are considerate neighbours.

Why not say you're happy to pop them back over the fence, but you're not happy to be answering your door and retrieving the ball constantly. It's disturbing your privacy. Suggest they buy more balls so the children still have a ball to play with.

What happened to neighbourly consideration?! You can borrow my dog for a week, they might be more mindful of trying not to kick the ball over the fence if they know they will get back a piece of punctured plastic.

aileth

The main problem is the root cause of the footballs coming over is the fact they're coming over because they are kicking them at the house. That is the really, really main annoying feature.

I work all day, come home, make tea, sit down to watch TV and all I can hear is thud-thud-thud, then the dog starts barking because he can hear banging, then I have to go outside, ask politely for them to stop doing that, they completely ignore me and carry on doing it.

Them kicking it at the house has the added chance of the ball coming over. I'm hoping putting measures in place will dissuade them from kicking the ball at the house (e.g. confiscating the ball so they have nothing to kick at the house), as that is why they come over.

I honestly wouldn't mind if they were playing it further down the street and sometimes there was a mistake and it came in, kids are kids, that sort of thing happens. It's the fact that the root cause for the balls coming over is the neighbour and her child's attempts to antagonise us and p*ss us off.

AFK_Matrix

It's a shame you can't get something like a wire mesh with spikes on fitted to the wall they keep kicking the ball against!! They would soon stop kicking it if they knew the ball would get punctured. And I would agree with what others have said, give her a warning and then just throw the balls away.

thesaint

In all honesty, I would not go and get the ball.

If the mum wants to knock the door/ring the bell, then tell to "go away", and then call the Police if it continues.

aileth

Well, since last year when it majorly kicked off we have put two big pyracantha at the 'access' point that she was using to get in the garden. Think I should rig up CCTV as well and buy some popcorn to watch when she climbs the fence, gets covered in anti-climb paint and then falls into the pyracantha.

I could probably get a couple of hundred quid off you've been framed.

kitty_kins

My nan had this problem - the ball was flying over and crushing all her flowers so she just kept it and every ball that came over after. I think she has 10 of the neighbours balls hidden in her garage but eventually the parents gave up buying the kids new ones! When they asked for their ball, she denied having it and even allowed them around the garden to look for it!

RAS

aileth

Why have you not rung your local chocolate policemen/women and reported anti-social behaviour?

And why have you not contacted the landlord and told them? Burger all they can do whilst in a fixed term contract but they can refuse to extend it.

aileth

RAS wrote: »

aileth

Why have you not rung your local chocolate policemen/women and reported anti-social behaviour?

And why have you not contacted the landlord and told them? Burger all they can do whilst in a fixed term contract but they can refuse to extend it.

I googled our local council and bobby websites regarding this and they seem to claim footballs are a non-issue, so it really put me off ringing them.

I have contacted their HA but they really couldn't be bothered.

RAS

It is not footballs.

It is anti-social noise nuisance with the potential for property damage.

And repeated trespass.

ladyabouttown

Use a pin to make several holes, they won't see the damage and although it may take a while that ball will become useless...