Creepy neighbours making me scared to go out

[Ishihtzuknot]

I have awful neighbours both sides and rarely speak to them unless I have to for repairs or similar. I have had issues with the lady next door spying on us, and after she had been doing some gardening recently I found a pile of sharp nails, sharp branches and dead flowers in my garden that she’d clearly thrown over. She seems mentally unwell so I don’t want to confront her or give her any sign it’s bothered me incase it provokes worse.
The other neighbours sit at their front window watching the comings and goings of everyone and I feel uncomfortable that they know my routine and seem quite put out if I change it. They have discussed it with other neighbours they are friendly with, so it seems most of them know my routine. They gossip about me in the garden and I’ve seen them leaning over the fence watching my daughter play. My hanging baskets had also been damaged and the new flowers ripped out whilst I’d been at work, I saw some of the petals on their lawn from the upstairs window. I confronted them and they denied it saying it was a bird, the hanging baskets on the other fence hadn’t been touched.
Lockdown has made it worse as I’ve been trapped between them, hearing their noise and catching them spying etc which I wouldn’t have noticed easily before. I’m now at the point of being nervous leaving my own house as I don’t trust what they’ll do. Nails in the garden when I have children that play out there is one thing, they could do anything next out of my sight and I have pets too. I have a camera which gives me some reassurance if anything happened to my property I could show the police, but it’s rubbish at night and the thought of it even getting to that point fills me with dread. I’m constantly checking out the windows and paranoid they’ll damage more of my property at some point.
AIBU that going out is giving me anxiety? I never used to feel like this pre lockdown, but I had no idea they were like this. I feel silly reporting it as I have no proof and with it being both sides I could seem like I am the problem moaning about neighbours.
I haven’t given either side a reason to treat me like this, I’m just an ordinary mum with children, were decent people and relatively quiet, I’ve always said hello and taken in parcels etc.
Any tips for reassurance? We haven’t been out for months and I feel like I’ll have an audience the first time we do.

Start keeping a log of everything.

Are they owners or tenants do you know?

Has your camera actually recorded any of this spying, or recorded your neighbours doing damage to your hanging baskets?

What do you mean when you say both sets of neighbours are "spying" on you?

In the nicest possible way, you sound overly paranoid and a little unwell, and given that you say you haven't been out in months, that's not surprising. Have you stayed in because you're shielding?

I really don't want to sound mean, but it seems like you may be a little paranoid.
Don't worry about what your neighbours think if you go out. It's none of their business.
If you think they are spying on you, why would they? Maybe they are concerned about you if you've not left the house in a while?

If both your neighbours don't like you have you considered that you might be the issue?

Why have you not left the house in a while OP ? Are you shielding?

How do they show they're put out when you change your routine?

Also are you sure it was neighbours who damaged your hanging baskets? Birds seem to like attacking mine!

Thanks for the replies and no I’m not unwell I’m perfectly fine mentally. I’ve been working from home and I’m pregnant so I’m not risking my baby’s health, the neighbours aren’t the reason I haven’t been out, I’m just nervous about going out incase they damage my property.
The camera was a recent buy so it hadn’t picked anything up yet so I haven’t got proof of any incidents to report as of yet. There are many more things that have happened but these are the most recent.
Both neighbours are HA tenants.
I have no idea if and why they don’t like me, they seem to say hello fine enough but dump sharp nails into my garden so I’d say it’s them with the problem. They don’t like each other and argue in the street so it’s not that they’re ganging up on me, it’s just very random things to do to someone.
I’m just asking how can I manage this without panicking I’ll come home to a destroyed garden so yes I am paranoid, wouldn’t you be if someone was messing with your property for an unknown reason?

So they've both put nails in your garden?

So, so far the only thing that has happened is you have found some nails in your garden? I'm sorry. It it does sound like you are a bit paranoid, from what you've described I'm not sure you should be that scared to leave your house. Are you on your own with your children? If you have a partner what do they think?

ignore comments that your paranoid they don't understand.

You could be right, but there are a few things puzzling me.

You ARE technically supposed to return garden clippings that overhang your garden form a neighbours plants to them. Could it be that, especially if she has MH issues and isn't socially adept. Not sure about the nails though! That was a one-off though, was it?

What did you hear them saying when you said they gossip about you in the garden?

How do you KNOW your neighbours that look out of their window are bothered if you change your routine? Do they tell you? Or do they remark on it, in what's actually a conversational way? This latter is quite normal, if annoying.

And, how do you KNOW they discus your routines with other neighbours?

Did you ask if they had seen anything happen to your hanging baskets, or did you ask if they had damaged them?

Minor details, but would help us get a picture of how vindictive thee neighbour's behaviour is.

I disagree with comments here, I do not believe you are paranoid or that you are the problem. Are you new there? Cameras are a good move and log everything. If they are inciting fear you have a case similar to stalking I believe (I'm married to a CID cop and I'm no pro but that's what I've picked up)
Once you have more evidence can you contact the housing association? It's tricky as you don't want to start a war.
I hope it doesn't get worse for you.

This sounds awful OP

Thank you I’m glad some of you aren’t patronising me.
They were her flowers not mine she threw them over to make it my problem clearly.
As I said these were just the recent examples, I’ve had a dog ball thrown over and smash a plant pot that they threw from the upstairs window on purpose, caught one of them looking through a hole in the fence watching me sunbathe, rubbish thrown into my front garden almost daily, it’s like they are intentionally trying to make me uncomfortable.
I have heard them talking about my appearance and how I must be on benefits because I look the type, I work from home. I have heard them tell people what time I go out and come home and that it’s earlier than usual. They’re always at their kitchen window looking into our house. I asked if they saw anyone in my garden as my flowers had been ruined on their side, they said no it must have been birds. There is no way of knowing what flowers they were unless they’d leaned over my fence as they hang low, but they knew all the details suspiciously. I let it go but it was clear a hand had ripped them not a bird.
it would help if people read it properly or not at all it’s not helpful to make assumptions when I’m already feeling crap about living next to these people. My daughter could have stepped on those nails.

I've been there. Awful neighbours on both sides who hated everything and everyone around them. I'd have dirty water thrown at my washing from the right, and shitty loo roll thrown over from the left. They were just awful people. They actually made me second guess myself, but when I moved 5 years ago I was lucky enough to gain normal neighbours. Not lovely, but normal, which is more than good enough!

I'd suggest you look to move. Before anything ramps up to the point that you have to report it.