Neighbourhood children constantly outside my house

[georgebungleszippy]

My house is on a cul-de-sac. It’s not a new estate but a single dead end road with new build houses.

There is a tiny area of planting directly in front of my house and then the pavement.

Since the end of Spring a group of children, maybe mid primary age to young secondary school age, have been hanging around directly outside my house, talking loudly. I can hear them over my television. They are still out there now, even though it’s dark.

When they aren’t yapping outside my house they are cycling around the small area in front of my house and the eight or so houses in that area of the street. Recently they’ve started using their bikes and scooters to race up and down the street, across people’s driveways and across the entrance to the residents car park (for the houses without drives).

Cars driving up and down the street are now accelerating to indicate their annoyance at the street being blocked by the children and then speeding away once they have gone past.

I’m concerned that there will be an accident at some point and one of these kids is going to be seriously injured or worse.

Secondly I’d like them to stop hanging around directly outside my house. Today they have been outside my front room window since 4pm. All I can hear is them shouting at each other. At the weekend I’m having to keep my blinds shut as they keep looking in.

I know kids need downtime. I just want them to do it somewhere else occasionally.

The grumpy part of me wants to go out and tell them to fuck off somewhere else. But I don’t want to create an issue with my neighbours. Not sure how to deal with it. I moved to escape a noisy neighbour and now there’s this issue. Don’t really want to move again.

This is easily remedied - a local group of houses for older people were being disturbed by groups of teenagers hanging around so high frequency cat deterrents were installed - most people over 30 can’t hear them but they are unbearable for young people!

@fridaynightzzz My specialist subjects are, the naughty behaviours of my cats, the films Jaws and Goodfellas and certain bands from the 1980s. I could try boring them with some of that.

When I was a kid, we were taught about boundaries. I always remember my dad telling us kids "I've told you not to ever step onto people's private property - so if you do from now on, and they come out to tell you off, you're on your own". It put the shits up me and to this day I don't step foot onto anyone's property. If my dogs step onto a driveway when we're walking, I will pull them away.

I think a lot of kids aren't taught manners or boundaries any longer, and it's really a huge shame. Even the worst kids in the 80s never used to enter private property or harass adults to the extent kids today do.

@Palepinkish Really?? This sounds amazing. Although I love cats so I’d never want to deter them. When my son was a teenager he hated the sound of those electric candle lighters. I wonder if there are other noises that child ears can hear but adults can’t. I’m looking into this immediately.

OP, could it be that your previous experience of a noisy neighbour is influencing how you react to these kids? I have experienced neighbour disputes and it is the absolute pits and the memory of it is upsetting. Could you do some work on your mental health before you decide what to do? You sound quite anxious, which is very understandable, but won't help how you perceive what is happening. I am absolutely not judging you, please know that!

A small shopping mall wanted to deter groups of teenagers hanging around so tried playing classical music through the sound system and that worked too - perhaps some opera might do the trick!

I have wondered the same, so I’m absolutely not offended by your suggestion. But I don’t think I’d like a group of kids constantly outside my living room window all the time, even if I hadn’t had problems previously.

I also think that newer houses just don’t allow for much privacy. I used to live in an Edwardian two bed semi. There wasn’t really a front garden, but I could have swapped over my living and dining rooms for additional privacy. Other older houses I’ve lived in had a bit more frontage, so I wasn’t really aware of what was happening on the street. I suppose I feel a bit exposed in this house as there isn’t anywhere else to sit and relax in the evening or at the weekend. It’s like being in a goldfish bowl.

@Palepinkish Thats an excellent idea. I actually like opera so that’s an option. Or some AC/DC.

You could try being nice? Go out one evening and call them round; say you would be really grateful if they could vary their places for playing a bit.... but you don't want to spoil their evenings. Keep it friendly.

Honestly I think you’re being a bit of a dick. They’re kids who don’t really have anywhere to go and they’re sitting talking at the end of their street. Hearing noise is just one of those things when you live somewhere the public footpath is 2ft from the window. And I can’t get over how entitled it is that a PP thinks it’s okay to use an anti-child noise deterrent on a public street!

In that case why dont they go and sit for hours every da outside their own front room window - probably because their parents would tell them to clear off!.

@JemimaTiggywinkles They aren’t sitting and talking at the end of the street. My house is about halfway up the street. There is no reason for them to congregate outside my house every day. I wouldn’t mind if they occasionally hung around outside my house. But it’s every single day. For hours at a time. And I’m not being a dick because I haven’t said anything to them. I might be thinking like a dick but I’m not being a dick. I’m just asking for opinions on here.

Play classical music and open your window.

We’ve had this. I went out one Saturday night in the summer and asked them if there was any chance I could watch TV without them screaming and shouting outside my lounge.

worked for a bit. The parents are useless.

@CornishTiger The thing is I understand that they want to be outside and away from parents. There are no green spaces or parks near us and they aren’t old enough to walk on their own to the closest park, as it’s quite far away. So I get they want to hang out on the street. I’d just like them to not hang outside my house. Not every day. Just move three doors up. And then come back. No problem. I have a son. He’s 22 now but when he was that age I wouldn’t have wanted him to be upsetting other people. It’s up to us, as parents, to try and make sure our kids aren’t pissing off our neighbours.

Just ask them to move along a bit, in a nice way. Or speak to one of the parents

Would a trial of Jeyes fluid on the footpath help deter them?

We had an unexpected success earlier in the year playing The Archers theme tune briefly (hotel balcony in Europe where just 2 Brits were spoiling everything even for the local guests).

I did look into those high pitched sound deterrents for screaming next to my garden, but cost was c £500…

(genetics seem to have blessed our family with super acute, but painful hearing - we realise that it’s an us problem).

If only you could get a Tommy there be no more problems.
It can be very intimidating living on you're own.
My mum's in her 80s and in the past windows egged the worst was her living room window smashed.
So to all those saying leave them be you might not be so philosophical if it was happening outside your own living room window night after night.

If you were my neighbour I would come and hang around your garden as they are great subjects.
playing 80s music and singing along may also help.

Op I feel your pain. The kids on my street gravitate to outside my house for some I know reason, at a guess because it’s far enough from their parents they can’t be heard shouting and screaming.
it’s insufferable! My front door is pretty much on the foot path only a small path inbetween and the little darlings have taken to using my path as and extra cycle track/play area. I almost got taken out yesterday when one came hurtling down the street, onto my path just as I stepped outside. I also work shifts and I can guarantee they’ll always be out when I’m nightshift screaming and arguing as loud as they can.
they occasionally come right up to my window and have a good look in too. Usually while I’m just sitting in the sofa!
after that happened again today and was caught on my doorbell Camera I went round to each of their houses and asked their parents to have a word. My camera catches them using my path and the noise they make too. Most parents were apologetic and said they’d have a word, told me to move them on or tell them to be quiet which was great.
only one parent was an arse about it saying his kid can do what they want. So tomorrow I’ll be sending them to play outside his door and look in his windows!

@fridaynightzzz I could chat to them about The Smiths or the works of Duran Dura. That might make them move along….

I’d play music, loudly with the window up, that you know the kids wouldn’t like - classical etc. Hopefully that will move them on.

Where I live, in the city centre, there are a few laneways that are residential and the local council put up speakers and played boring music to get people to move on and stop loitering outside people’s homes.

I’d probably do what others have said and go out and potter about whenever they’re out there. Weed the front, do some gardening, sweep the path, clean your windows. Smile and chat about the weather and Halloween/Christmas coming up. Hopefully your presence will ruin their fun soon and they’ll move on.

I know you’ve said there are no parks or green spaces nearby too, but are there no patches of land anywhere at all nearby that aren’t directly outside people’s houses? I’d speak to the local MP and see if anywhere nearby can be identified as a place for some funding for some benches or a parklet or even some gym equipment or something. You never know, there might be a small bit of funding that could create a space for kids to hang out that doesn’t disturb households quite so much.

It would be nice if they had somewhere they could go. We have a massive park where we live but it’s a bit too far for them to go at their ages. And I’d worry about older kids taking their pocket money!

My stepfather puts his (loud) Bluetooth speaker on the windowsill and plays the sort of music they play at the Proms. 🤣🤣