Bouncy castle in the street

[daphnedoo12]

Hi,

I live in a street that is blocked off half way by bollards, it has a widening to allow cars to turn around. We do not have front gardens, it's terraced housing.

We park our cars directly outside of our house.

Neighbour (many, many issues with this neighbour) has now set up a huge bouncy castle in the middle of the road.

I can just about turn my car around to get out of the street, although with great difficulty and also with the risk of hitting a child as there is now about 15 of them in the middle of the road.

Anyone parked further up would struggle to actually get their car out.

Is this even legal? We have decent sized yards?? I don't understand why it needs to be in the middle of an actual road. It's so dangerous!

I sound like a party pooper, I have a DS and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing this, no adults are constantly with the children, they're in/out their houses and it's just so worrying.

Am I just a party pooper or am I right to be concerned about this?

Neighbour 4 doors up has kicked off threatening to ring the police. Neighbours who have the bouncy castle just shouted obscenities at him.

[shouldistop]

How long has it been there for? I'd assume it's for a birthday party and turn a blind eye as long as it's away tomorrow.

[thedevilinablackdress]

Completely unreasonable to do this without consulting neighbours.

[LawnFever]

Oh god I feel your pain, in our old terraced street the neighbours set up a huge paddling pool in the street once - it’s just so annoying and inconsiderate to everyone else.

Can you pop it?

[daphnedoo12]

@shouldistop since about 9am so not too long. This has been quite a common occurance (every two weeks or so since the heatwave started) but never normally one so big that actually blocks cars in

They never mention when they're going to do it either they just put one up when it suits them

[LawnFever]

@shouldistop

How long has it been there for? I'd assume it's for a birthday party and turn a blind eye as long as it's away tomorrow.

A birthday party in the street is completely ridiculous

[LibrariesGiveUsPower45321]

It’s illegal. You have to have permission from council to have street parties or block any part of the road.

[daphnedoo12]

I feel bad because it's clearly something to do with one of her kids birthdays, but we have yards and they are decent sized and could easily fit a bouncy castle in them so why oh why does it have to be slap bang in the middle of the street

[bonfireheart]

If they have a back garden then there really is no excuse

I wonder about people like this and why their first thought isn't "is this safe for my child?"

[ForeverSinging]

I would definitely call the police, mainly because that's just so dangerous.

[Lockheart]

I'm fairly sure that's illegal. I would call the police.

You can't obstruct a public highway.

[ShadowInVain]

I'd be surprised if it's covered by the insurance of whoever they're hiring it from.

The T&C for inflatable castle insurance is loooong - they're actually quite dangerous.

[Poptart4]

If its in the middle of the road, what's holding it down? Usually bouncy castles are held down with spikes in the mud. If nothing is holding it down it can be deathly dangerous.

I'd call the police.

[daphnedoo12]

@Poptart4 I'm not too sure actually I'll try have a look

[daphnedoo12]

DH is on phone to the police, neighbour 4 doors down is also on the phone to them we think as he's going ballistic outside on the phone to what sounds like the police.

He's frustrated as he can't get his car out to go to work and they're quite literally ignoring him

[shouldistop]

@LawnFever it's not me that's having the party. I just said it wouldn't bother me for a day.

[icedcoffees]

Someone did this on our back street yesterday - only instead of a bouncy castle it was a 12ft swimming pool filled with water

[Dollpiglet]

Is it tethered properly? I get so worried about bouncy castles nowadays after all those horrendous accidents. Presumably there are no ground anchors if it's just plonked on the road??

[Nocutenamesleft]

Blimey. Yeah. Huge problem. I’d be ringing the police. Yet my kids aren’t even allowed to play outside where I live.

[careerchangeperhaps]

@Dollpiglet

Is it tethered properly? I get so worried about bouncy castles nowadays after all those horrendous accidents. Presumably there are no ground anchors if it's just plonked on the road??

Quite. It's really windy here. I can't imagine it's safe.

[nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut]

How the fuck is it anchored? Is it just sitting there? I wouldn't be letting my kids near it. A girl died at a funfair a few years back after a bouncy castle blew away with her in it.

[daphnedoo12]

It seems the bouncy castle company have used like a heavy brick looking thing to anchor it down, it's windy here too and definetly doesn't seem safe

[FenceSplinters]

That’s really selfish of them.

[TattiePants]

2 people were killed 15 years ago in a local park when an incorrectly tethered inflatable took off in the wind. They sound like complete idiots.

[MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously]

It's really selfish to just block neighbours in, with no thought for their need to go to work and get on with their own lives. I'd be furious.
And bouncy castles can be really dangerous if not tethered properly. The police should come out if only for the child safety aspect of kids playing on an unsecured bouncy castle in a road!

[CloseYourEyesAndSee]

This is totally unsafe. Police should break it up.