...to be really pissed that my neighbour had put up electric fence?

[NiniLegsInTheAir]

Our neighbours (a mid 30s couple, no kids, no pets) have just had their 100ft garden 'landscaped'. Since they moved in 2 years ago they've left what was a gorgeous little space to ruin as they don't like gardening, and now they've had it redone to be as little maintenance as possible.

But as they've had their garden done, they've realised that all our gardens are frequently visited by badgers (and currently a family of foxes). It's a big deal having the animals as we're actually on the outskirts of a town centre so wouldn't expect to have such an abundance of wildlife. It doesn't bother me massively that the badgers sometimes dig holes in our lawn but our neighbours have taken massive offence to the possibility of badgers digging in their pristine lawn so have started trying all sorts to stop them gaining access.

They tried blocking holes - the badgers dug bigger ones in different places. They tried filling the holes with stones, they got moved.

Anyway - went out in the garden tonight to find they've put FUCKING ELECTRIC FENCING ALONG OUR BOUNDARY against the hedging that separates us. To say I'm livid is an understatement. I have a cat, as do many other neighbours, and a small DD who could easily gain access. They DIDNT EVEN TELL US THEY'D PUT THE ELECTRIC FENCING UP and I can't even ask as they've done it and gone abroad for 2 weeks!!!! FFS - if you don't want wildlife BUY A FUCKING FLAT!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, is it me overreacting or is this a massive overreaction on their part to a small problem?

They dont have kids. Why should they expect a child to burrow under a hedge and touch the fencing, which is going to be low voltage. Won't have occurred to them.

Farmers use them all the time - no signs up iirc. We managed to live along side them ok as kids. Yes, they should've mentioned it but the OP knows now and can tell her kids not to touch it. I remember playing 'chicken' with electric fences as a kid - it isn't a massive shock like in cartoons!

She said its on their boundary and the child could easily gain access. They could have let them know, common courtesy.

OP have they followed this www.allsun.com.au/ENPsafety.html

Oh ffs there is a hedge as well?

Never mind OP all the wildlife will end up in your garden then you will end up getting an electric fence too

May I make a suggestion - ask them to pay for a row of picket fencing on your side of the electric fence to protect your child. I don't think that's unreasonable. A small picket would prevent your daughter touching it (unless she's really keen) - stop you having to look at it and you having to look at it and not impede badger protection (which having had badgers is absolutely zero because the buggers always find a a way in and actually they would be better to just accept they are on the route of the badgers path unless they are actually living there.

A local farmer put an electric fence over a footpath stile where we used to live, the council made him take it down because of the danger to small people. He put barbed wire up instead

There will be a box attached to it somewhere with an on/off switch.

Just saying.

But there's a hedge there - why a picket fence as well?

staying

By law they should have a sign up if it's accessible to others. Also these fences kill hedgehogs all the time, that's wrong.

You don't need planning permission to put up a fence consisting of 3 wires around your own garden!

I think you should leave the poor sods alone, they can do no right in your eyes can they. Ignore the garden (leaving it to 'wildlife'?) they're neglecting it, getting it landscaped, now you're snotty about that. So what if they don't want their lawns ruined, not everyone loves that idea. I don't like ants nests or wasps in my garden particularly, but it doesn't mean I shouldn't be allowed a garden ffs! If YOU don't like neighbours doing perfectly reasonable things with their garden then YOU move into a flat!

I could understand if they'd put the fence on your side, but it's on their side of a hedge, so I don't see the problem at all, you are massively overreacting imo.

I think OP is annoyed at it not bbeing mentioned....so her or her family could get shocked...that would annoy anyone!

Yeah but they'd have only done it once

I wouldn't want my 76yo DM with heart insufficiency/leaky valve/artificial other valve to go anywhere near it, just in case.

Gosh, does your 76yo DM with pacemaker normally climb under hedges into strangers' gardens?

Ah I missed there was a hedge

Yeah you are being a bit harsh OP. My garden is walled and some of the walls have vicious holly on - your daughter would get more damage falling into one of those.

yanbu. I wouldn't be pleased at my child or pet having to "learn a lesson" in their own garden. Also many of us have very young children/children with SN visiting, an electric fence would make me very wary of letting them play in the garden.

As someone said upthread, an electric fence really isn't that bad. It is made of plastic string-like wire, on flexible poles. It isn't plugged in to the mains, and it's not much worse than being flicked with a wet towel.

Maybe the neighbour should have told you, if they thought it would be likely your daughter would crawl through the hedge but I think YABU as badgers (although cute, protected etc etc) are a pest. They plough up grass looking for grubs. I think your neighbours are perfectly in order.

FWIW as children my siblings and I used to dare eachother to touch the electric fence. My Grandad used to hold on to it with his bare hands and not feel a thing!

If I read your post correctly they have put some electric fencing inside their boundary and it isn't that which separates your two gardens, you have a hedge between you and the fence. If that is the case I think you are being completely unreasonable and over-reacting. Electric fencing isn't at mains strength, so it's not going to kill anyone. Your child shouldn't be pushing through the hedge into their garden where she can touch the fencing anyway. If she might go through into their garden maybe you could erect a small decorative fence to stop her? Your cat will soon learn to avoid the fencing and won't be damaged in the process. Urban foxes are a sorry lot, too many of them and not enough food, they don't need to be encouraged. Badgers are a huge pain if they start excavating a garden and I sympathise with anyone who has to deal with that problem. Maybe you would prefer the course of action my friend took, which was to get a friend to come by one night and shoot the badger? Country people don't fanny about when dealing with wildlife, they appreciate it but that doesn't mean that they won't take measures to prevent the destruction of property. Surely only soft-hearted townies would object to a simple bit of electric fencing?

I'm amazed at the number of people here who think these people are "tossers" etc and are coming up with plans to sabotage what these people have done. If I were you Op I'd consider what they might do if the fence doesn't work and their garden continues to be trashed. They might just give up and let it deteriorate back to the original eyesore that offended you.

FFS read the post people. Nobody's granny or child is going to get shocked here unless they physically climb through a hedge into the neighbour's garden! If they do that (which Op should certainly be making sure they don't) then they'll get a little discouraging tingle, nothing drastic.

I can't visualise the layout, SchoolGovernor, so cant tell if there is much of a risk or virtually none of a young child touching the fence.

"Anyway - went out in the garden tonight to find they've put FUCKING ELECTRIC FENCING ALONG OUR BOUNDARY against the hedging that separates us."
There is already a hedge separating the gardens. I would suggest that if Op's daughter is in any danger of going through that hedge and into the next door garden she should do something to prevent that. Regardless of whether or not there is electric fencing on the other side, in their garden.

What schoolgovernor said.

They really don't need to inform you or seek your permission to put something on their own side of the border.

If you are concerned about your child, maybe start teaching him/her, not to crawl under the hedge onto someone else's property, or put up a fence on your side of the hedge.

What they are doing is better than poisoning the badger/foxes, which is the approach a lot of people would take.

OP, YABU.

They don't want foxes in their garden fair enough. TBH an electric fence seems like a good humane option I'm not convinced it'll work though. They could have the foxes trapped and shot, they could put out poison etc etc

Surely if the fence is the other side of the hedge you can neither see it, nor be affected by it. And as others have said touching an electric fence won'y usually do any harm to healthy children /animals.

OP

how did you find out about the electric fence.

Its on their side hidden by a hedge.

You do sound alot like my old next door nieghbour who went ape shit when I dug over and replanted her cats "favourite place to go potty".

If an electric fence adjoins an area with public access (like a footpath) it has to have signs on it, but can still be erected. This fence doesn't, a boundary hedge that nobody should be pushing through isn't public access is it?
Leave the fence alone Op, or be prepared for badgers and foxes to be dealt with by more life-threatening means.

I wouldn't be pleased at my child or pet having to "learn a lesson" in their own garden.

It's not in the OP's garden - it's in next door's garden which also has a hedge.

It really is nothing more than being flicked with a wet towel if you get shocked as someone said upthread.