troublesome neighbours what to do

[wolf320f]

what can be done when after all the hours of hard work sacrifice and planning, the gardens looking tidy the flowers are out and the lawn neatly kept, only to be spoilt by scruffy neighbours or their kids kicking blinking footballs all through your tender loved flowers.

you know the type gardens a mess lawn hasnt seen a mower in years the weeds are sky high and the dont give a fig attitude isnt just for their garden. the kids think your garden is an open area to retrieve lost balls and no polite requests for it to stop are enough what can be done short of murdering the little swines. i'm sick of their rubbish finding its way into my garden and the scruffy garden bringing down the whole street.

am i the only one too suffer with this or is this behaviour normal throughout the realm. i thought an englishmans castle was his own yet i have a family ruining my plants and putting off visitors let alone buyers.

i try to enjoy my garden yet can only hear the screams of kids and the f'ing and blinding of their irate parents not the most relaxing of atmospheres. i have to wait for the parents i presume to go and cash their gyro's or see their dealers whilst the kids are at school. lately weve had the addition of the kids with a motorbike if things wernt bad enough.

the young girl has one small tot and another on the way together with all her young brothers friends that seem to hang out in front of our house day and night, can i lay traps like for other pests, buy a gun or bury the little swines under my rhubarb (the green option) or have i just turned into a grumpy old man??????

[smallblueplanet]

I truely sympathise - I'm not sure what recourse you have....plant lots of 'thorned' plants around your borders? Warn them about trespass, which is now a civil matter and I believe you have to prove damage.

But I suppose bottom line is you (or they) move, depends how important your peace of mind is.......I'd move.

[Shortie]

Hi Wolf

I really do sympathise, my neingbour in our old house was a quiet as a mouse but a really messy garden, and my recent neighbours (who thankfully seem to have moved) used to scream at their children at 10pm every night and her kids would throw toys and rubbish over our adjoining back wall and they would jump up and watch us over the top of the 6 ft brick wall

About your predicament though... as annoying as it is at the moment, do be careful what you do, and don't do anything in anger or haste...

Firstly if you wind them up, they could purposely make it unappealing for prospective buyers if you do decide to move.

Also, by law you're not allowed to set traps for humans so this is very dodgy ground. You could end up with trench warfare, or get in trouble with the law. That said, plants are fine so plant as prickly as you like

You didn't say if your lawn was enclosed or not. If it's an open space, it's not actually trespass. If you have fences surrounding your garden, it could be seen as trespass.

If you ask me, if it really winds you up that much, quietly sell your house and move on with as little fuss as possible

[Nicos]

I sympathise...grew up in a road where all the kids trampled through the front garden to retrieve their football. Car scratched with footballs too!
New live in a lovely area where ...guess what???..the kids do just the same , but ask for permission to collect their ball every 10 mins!! and the next door neighbours have just bought a trampoline for all the kids in the neighbourhood to use!!!
Thank goodness for the allotment..... at £17 per year....fantastic!! BBQ's, picnics...wildlife...OH there as I type!!
You won't win with your neighbours, you either find a bolthole or move, and even then still need a bolthole!
My sister-in-law lives in Taunton and lives in a cottage in the middle of no-where ,but she has neighbours with a swimming pool and the noise after school and at weekends is driving them crazy!

[Jaxom]

I remember where we lived a few years ago, the kids thought our garden was the place to pick flowers for mothers’ day.
Thursdays was always the worst day, as the neighbours would come home with the supermarket trolley full of the essentials to life. Drink, drink and more drink. After a few hours the police would drive up in their party van and cart the father or some other adult away for a B&B in the local cells.
Their kids used to knock our door and ask for food. We had to call it a day when they started trying to choose the menu too.
I was happy to give them fruit and make them a sandwich, but their tastes ran more to pop and crisps or even a chocolate bar, which I was not going to provide. After all the food we dished out we were called tight fisted for not providing junk food.
As smallblueplanet says the bottom line is you (or they) move. We moved and when we did we put a lot of work in to researching the area. We looked at credit information. Police information. Service providers’ data. Then before taking the plunge and moving, we visited each property at least ten times at various times of the week and also times of the day. In one place I even put together a checklist of things to look for and tick off.
I am please to say my new home is wonderful and if I ever leave it will be feet first in my box.
Jax

[blackkitty]

We were really lucky when we bought our house as we have some really nice neighbours, although the people on one side have grandchildren from hell. One of the boys wandered through their broken fence into the people behind us and then through a gap by their garage into our garden, we chased him out and I explained to the neighbours that our pond was not safe, its a good three foot deep and we haven't seen him since. I am waiting to see what happens when the neighbours behind us who have just started keeping chickens find out that the same neighbour is encouraging the foxes to come through the same fence gap and is feeding them
I wonder if spreading lots of manure around your garden would discourage the children. Else I would buy a job lot of gooseberries and establish a hedge.

[Jaxom]

There is a bush that causes an irritation if you handle it. The rash comes out about ten minutes later and itches like crazy.
They would be too busy scratching to get into any more trouble.
the rash is not fatal just anoying. I'll go and see if I can find it on Google.
Jax

[Jaxom]

Found this on the Essex Police site.

What sort of plants should I use?
These are varied and can bring added colour and life to your garden whilst fighting crime.

Berberis Stenophylla
Spiny arching branches with yellow/orange flowers in April - May 9ft.


Berberis Verruculosa
Evergreen glossy leaves, yellow flowers followed by black berries 3ft.


Berberis Candidula
Good for ground cover, spiny dense mounds bearing yellow flowers in May 2ft.


Berberis Julianae
Makes a spiny screen, leaves turn red in autumn 9ft.


Berberis Ottawensis Superba
Rich purple leaves 6ft.


Genista Hispanica
Makes excellent ground cover. The spiny branches are covered with yellow flowers in May - June 2ft.


Hippophae Rhamnoides
A strong growing shrub with silver leaves and sharp thorns. Flowers March / April followed by orange berries in September 16ft.


Hex Aquifolium
Spiny deep green leaves with red berries in autumn 15 - 20ft.


Mahonia Japonica
Evergreen shrub, spiny holly - like leaves. Yellow highly scented flowers in December - March 6ft.


Prunus Spinosa
A large shrub with spiny branches. Flowers March - April. Damson like fruit in autumn.


Pyracantha Mohave
Large evergreen shrub with spiny stems which are covered in red berries in autumn - 12ft.


Rosa
There is a bewildering array of roses which are suitable for planting to defend your home and garden ranging from miniature to shrub roses.


Rubus Cockburnianus
White thorny branches make an interesting display in winter 8ft.


Ulex Europaeus
Very spiny shrub, flowering in April / May 6ft.


Crataegus Monogyna
The native hawthorn has spiny branches covered in scented white flowers in May 15ft.
These varieties will cause injury to friend or foe. Please consider this when planting.

to see the page in full http://www.essex.police.uk/about/a_ca_07.php

[blossom]

We moved and when we did we put a lot of work in to researching the area. We looked at credit information. Police information. Service providers’ data. Jax

I am looking to move at the moment, and have been doing all the visiting at different times of the day, but what credit information and service providers data can you find to look at?
Any help would be great, as I don't really want to move from one lot of pain in the bottom neighbours to another.

By the way, I would probably move. We had kids running up and down infront of our house (the road is right under our window) at 10.45pm the other night. There is another new set of scratches on the car. The funny thing is the kids are mostly good kids, it is the parents who are idiots. I am just fed up of feeling on edge in my own home.

[Jaxom]

but what credit information and service providers data can you find to look at?

I must admit that I was able to search my computer in work as I was working for one of the said service providers. Do you have a friend who works for Water, Gas or Electric in your area? They could look up specific streets and have a quick gander at all the people who owe large sums of money. I know that anybody can get in debt at some time in their lives, but most people try to clear it in order to keep their credit ratings. The CAB may be able to help if you were to explain how problems have affected you in the past. The advisors will often know which areas have the most social problems. Some areas have large numbers of people who don't care and amass debt for years.
A good indication of an area is front gardens and how they keep their bins. Graffiti is also a good indicator of local community spirit. Bored Kids tend to be the ones who daub the streets with their "Tags".
Try talking to local newsagents and postal workers. BT engineers are also good to talk to as well, they have to replace the shattered glass in phone boxes. Bus drivers know which routes are no go at various times of the day. Fast food delivery firms soon learn which areas not to accept orders from. Taxi drivers will ask for money up front before driving to some destinations.
There are lots of ways to work out where is good to move to and where to avoid.
Large numbers of "For sale" signs are sometimes a bad sign if they stay up for long periods. High numbers of sold signs are however a good sign.
A search on Google may also help if you search the address details. When I last moved I didn’t have access to the Internet so it was all done the hard way.
Jax

[pigletwillie]

We are blessed with grand neighbours now but before I had some nightmare ones. I found basting the children in an olive oil and lemon dressing and BBQing them made them more appealing although I couldnt eat a whole one.

[Alice]

Wolf, you have more than my sympathy. I think I would lose my mind in that situation. I really don't think there is any way to deal with people like that. I think the only answer is to move. Maddening I know, but I think you can protest all you like and it will make no difference. As my husband would put it, there are 2 kinds of people in this world and that kind just don't share your values.
We never had bad neighbours, quite the reverse, but did want a larger and more private garden than we had on the estate where we lived before. We set out to search for what we wanted. It took about 2 years but we did find a house we loved (in need of total modernisation. Hadn't been touched since the Coronation) with an acre of ground (totally overgrown) in its own private road (in need of upgrading) and really handy for all services. It's like living in the country right in the town. And all for a price that we could afford and we are not rich people.
22 years and a lot of hard work later we have a lovely house and garden in total peace and quiet. I still think you can find such places if you are prepared to search and take the chance. I really do wish you good luck.

[Lesley Jay]

A while ago it was on the news that the government was bringing in a system that would log any complaints made about your neighbours or any disputes that you might have with them. A search would be made when you were buying a house and all these complaints or disputes would show up. This was to help people buying houses so that they didn't end up with the neighbour from hell. Was this ever implimented?

[lilo lil]

Hi there. You have my sympathy as bad neighbours are a complete nightmare. I'm lucky that I live next door to 2 great neighbours who are great. Saying that, we have problems with a group of teenagers shouting, screaming, swearing, getting drunk and causing a general nuisance of themselves. Unfortunately, my car "broke down" under one of their bedroom windows one sunday morning and I was unable to turn off the radio in the car because of an "electical fault" They don't like U2 played at full belt when they didn't get to bed till late and they had a hangover. They weren't fussed on Genesis, Deep Purple or Jethro Tull.

Shame isn't it. I've had no problems since though.

Do your neighbours rent their house? If they do you can contact their landlords and the landlord has a legal obligation to either a) get them to behave or b) evict them. I would also contact your council and see what they have in place to deal with this. You can also start keeping a log of everything that happens. Why should you have to move just cos of them? I'd get your hedge planted too with a fence on one side of it.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Shortie]

How's it going

Wolf, how's it going, is this calming down at all, or have the prickly plants been given their homes yet?

Have you decided to stay put or move?

Hope all is okay.....