Cat Spikes

jmaggiej

Hi,  

I share a driveway with my neighbour and on her side of the driveway is a small piece of land measuring about 8ft by 3ft.  She has covered the whole area with cat spikes (secured by metal pins) and then on top of this she has put brambles with spikes.  The piece of land leads directly onto a public pathway.

Is this legal?

Hoenir

No illegal. Minimum height for cat spikes is 2 metres above ground level.  

DullGreyGuy

jmaggiej said:

Hi,  

I share a driveway with my neighbour and on her side of the driveway is a small piece of land measuring about 8ft by 3ft.  She has covered the whole area with cat spikes (secured by metal pins) and then on top of this she has put brambles with spikes.  The piece of land leads directly onto a public pathway.

Is this legal?

You share it as in you both own 50% of all of it or you share it as in you own 100% of one side and she owns 100% of the other side?

Who owns the piece of land in question?

What makes you think its illegal?

Generally if it's your land you can do with it what you want. You do have a duty of care to others but its a sliding scale from a reasonable level to the postman, for example, which have a legitimate need to enter your property down to a minimum level say to a burglar. 

Why would a normal human need to walk on this patch of land? You'd expect the postie to use the drive or a path not walk over the lawn. The mat style spikes arent going to do any injury to a postman walking on them, brambles grow everywhere so arent an issue. "Brambles with spikes" I am not sure if you are talking about the thorns of the brambles, they've used some cane or something for the brambles or something more sinister? 

Brie

DullGreyGuy said:

jmaggiej said:

Hi,  

I share a driveway with my neighbour and on her side of the driveway is a small piece of land measuring about 8ft by 3ft.  She has covered the whole area with cat spikes (secured by metal pins) and then on top of this she has put brambles with spikes.  The piece of land leads directly onto a public pathway.

Is this legal?

You share it as in you both own 50% of all of it or you share it as in you own 100% of one side and she owns 100% of the other side?

Who owns the piece of land in question?

What makes you think its illegal?

Generally if it's your land you can do with it what you want. You do have a duty of care to others but its a sliding scale from a reasonable level to the postman, for example, which have a legitimate need to enter your property down to a minimum level say to a burglar. 

Why would a normal human need to walk on this patch of land? You'd expect the postie to use the drive or a path not walk over the lawn. The mat style spikes arent going to do any injury to a postman walking on them, brambles grow everywhere so arent an issue. "Brambles with spikes" I am not sure if you are talking about the thorns of the brambles, they've used some cane or something for the brambles or something more sinister? 

well if it is a postie cutting across it then it's likely in a bid to do the round a bit quicker and save a couple of dozen steps each day.  can't blame someone for that.  but to me a more reasonable solution would be to put a couple of stepping stones of some sort so that there's an agreed place to cross.  

I'd be more worried about a random stranger, perhaps a child, falling on the spikes and injuring themselves.  Particularly if the spikes are hidden and so the area doesn't look like it's dangerous.

35har1old

Brie said:

DullGreyGuy said:

jmaggiej said:

Hi,  

I share a driveway with my neighbour and on her side of the driveway is a small piece of land measuring about 8ft by 3ft.  She has covered the whole area with cat spikes (secured by metal pins) and then on top of this she has put brambles with spikes.  The piece of land leads directly onto a public pathway.

Is this legal?

You share it as in you both own 50% of all of it or you share it as in you own 100% of one side and she owns 100% of the other side?

Who owns the piece of land in question?

What makes you think its illegal?

Generally if it's your land you can do with it what you want. You do have a duty of care to others but its a sliding scale from a reasonable level to the postman, for example, which have a legitimate need to enter your property down to a minimum level say to a burglar. 

Why would a normal human need to walk on this patch of land? You'd expect the postie to use the drive or a path not walk over the lawn. The mat style spikes arent going to do any injury to a postman walking on them, brambles grow everywhere so arent an issue. "Brambles with spikes" I am not sure if you are talking about the thorns of the brambles, they've used some cane or something for the brambles or something more sinister? 

well if it is a postie cutting across it then it's likely in a bid to do the round a bit quicker and save a couple of dozen steps each day.  can't blame someone for that.  but to me a more reasonable solution would be to put a couple of stepping stones of some sort so that there's an agreed place to cross.  

I'd be more worried about a random stranger, perhaps a child, falling on the spikes and injuring themselves.  Particularly if the spikes are hidden and so the area doesn't look like it's dangerous.

Postie could catch his toe on the edge of stepping stone fall and break a arm money money 

Mr.Generous

Hoenir said:

No illegal. Minimum height for cat spikes is 2 metres above ground level.  

Isn't the max height for a fence without planning 1.8 mtrs (6 ft)?   Which would be amusing.

jmaggiej

DullGreyGuy - I don't think for one minute that anyone will step on this piece of land, and I never mentioned people walking on it or using it. I'm more worried about animals.  Thank you Hoenir for confirming the 2 metres above ground level.   As I mentioned, the strip of land leads directly to a public pathway and a dog could easily become injured, even when on a leash.  

elsien

A dog owner shouldn’t be letting their dog walk onto  other people’s drives or private land.
More of a concern for wildlife, I would suggest.

sheramber

Cat spikes are made of rubber and do not injure cats. They make it uncomfortable to walk on thus deterring the animal. 

It sounds like your neighbour has installed strips of spikes which go on the ground , usually to deter digging. 

There are plenty of spikey plants used in landscaping . I am not aware of reports of animals being injured by them. Animals are usually quite good at self preservation.