...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?

Nothing. Obviously there are many many people who live in towns. My problem is more with the vermin loving ones. Foxes are pests that cause no end of trouble. Badgers make a big mess. It's the neighbours land. They want it to be low maintenance. They don't want fox shit and badger burrows everywhere.

why is the ops dc now the neighbours respondibility?

They should have let you know first... but YABabitU.

but this thread is still bloody funny

Why should they have let her know?

If I was merrily cutting my hedge and got zapped by an electric fence I hadn't been told about I would be a bit pissed off

You shouldn't be in the neighbours garden cutting the hedge in the first place.

It isn't actually clear where the electric fence is TBH. I assume it is at the bottom of the hedge on their property. Where you wouldn't be cutting.

I trim the bottom of my hedge, what if my clippers touched the wire

This will I assume be an agricultural stock fence which whilst not nice to touch wont kill pets or children

We have always used them round chickens,sheep pony's etc.
My view is it is unreasonable of your neighbour not to have explained this to you but really it will only zap your pets or children once(hard hearted mother here)

Well if you were wearing your wellies while you were clipping the hedge, then nothing would happen because you'd be earthed, otherwise you'd get a little shock, but as people have said it would feel like you'd been pinged with an elastic band.

This is a very funny thread, I have the impression that a lot of people think electric fences have a mains current running through them ready to send them flying back across the garden if they brush against it.

Well, in the unlikely event you managed to touch something on your neighbour;s property whilst clipping your side of the hedge, you would get a buzz similar to when you hit your funny bone. And that's it.

so what is actually "vermin"? I think of rats and roaches when I hear it. do badgers and foxes and hedgehogs count as vermin too?

Well it would have been nice to tell you, especially given you've got a small child, but tbh if I were them and you started going on about possible harm to your cat, I'd be a bit

Most animals will only touch an electric fence once. It's only a small jolt (I'm assuming here it's similar to the sort of fencing we used to use for horses) - it's not like you'll suddenly see your cat shoot into the air with all its bones briefly visible, a la cartoons.

I wouldn't mind wildlife in my garden, provided it didn't bother the dogs, but not everyone welcomes it.

Vermin is anything that causes a problem TBH.

In the country, badgers and foxes etc are fine. In towns, they can cause damage by ripping bin bags, carrying disease/pests into highly populated areas... mice and rats aren't really a problem out in the wild, only when they impinge on human space.

The same as a weed is just something that's growing in the wrong place.

When trimming your side of the hedge, unless it belongs to you, you shouldn't be touching the top of it. You shouldn't ever be trimming the neighbours side. Unless they are farming velociraptors, the fence is harmless. It's on her property, is of no threat to you, and is none of your business.

I see the point Soupy.. but would you really ever call an orchid or a rose a weed, even if it wasn't where you wanted it?

I have just finished doing 'nocturnal' animals with Year 2, so it feels a bit odd to see badgers and hedgehogs described as vermin! Especially after last week's visit to a wildlife hospital... funny old world

Why should they have let her know... because it's polite!

In the course of normal garden activities it is easy to come into contact with your neighbour's fence, yes even if there is a hedge in the way. I would consider it only courteous to notify a neighbour of an electric fence, it's not difficult to do after all.

I'm not sure what garden activities you engage in, but if you manage to get through a hedge an touch an inner fence that is actually on your neighbours property, then you are doing them wrong and it will need to be away from the hedge to actually work, so well within. And would be in the wrong. Yes. It might be polite, but judging by the OPs attitude, I don't imagine that she is very polite back. She certainly isn't very polite about them in her post. She sounds like a badly informed, nosy, NIMBY curtain twitcher! She is worried that the ickle badgers and foxies won't be able to get into her neighbours garden and cause trouble but they are nature you know and she is worried about what happens if her child or cat strays across the boundary. It sounds to me like she needs to worry about the neighbours business a bit less and watch her own a bit more!

Wow, nothing like namecalling and sarcasm to really liven up a debate. No thanks.

If it is in their garden it is non of your business.

Hav you read the OPs posts??!

She sounds like someone that cares about her own pets and childrens safety to me.

I'm glad I don't live next door to some of you lot.

I think that putting an electric fence up without telling your neighbours is a bloody irresponsible thing to do.

I don't care if it's just a small zap or whatever,any responsible person would tell their neighbours it was there ,especially if children were invovled.

But Usual, the fence is behind a fecking hedge and as someone has already pointed out it needs to be far enough from the hedge that it won't touch it.

I don't care if it's behind a hedge,The neighbour must know the Op has a cat and a child so could have said 'be careful near the hedge theres an electric fence there now'

Why wouldn't you?