AIBU to do whatever I like to my fence?

[SunnaStrangeInTheNeighbourhood]

Or rather is DH BU?

Last summer we replaced our tatty 6ft fence with a brand new one. It's a very long garden and that side was looking horribly bare. We have planted shrubs and flowers in beds down the side but it was still looking a bit naked because we'd had to remove a lot of established bushes and shrubs to do the fence.

DH scrounged was given some lightweight barbed wire left over from a friend's project and has been hammering it to the fence along the top and in loops and curls up and down with the intention of growing some climbing plants along it. It will also make it harder for random burglars to climb over the fence, he said. 3 years ago a potential burglar scaled all the fences down the lane and tried all the back doors, so it's not entirely silly to think it could happen.

NDN is worried about his cat getting hurt. Said cat hardly ever comes in our garden because we shout at it or squirt it with water. Until we moved in it had used it as an outside toilet. 4 years of discouragement means we hardly see it any more.

Cats aren't stupid so I think it may have encountered barbed wire before (we live in a village surround by farm land) and will have learned to avoid it or tiptoe round it. He wants us to remove it but "doesn't want to fall out over it". Dh has said he doesn't want to fall out either but it's staying.

NDN's wife says he's being ridiculous. He is isn't he?

Sunna I often find your posts a tad 'unusual' but this had to take the cake.

HowlCapone Sun 26-Oct-14 08:37:04
Fence looking a bit bare? Add barbed wire for a touch of prison camp chic. The new bang on trend style for gardens.

Unusual, chilling? Have you made a study of me? I think that's a bit weird tbh.

Clearly something we should all be bearing in mind sanfairy.

I'm thinking of training the bastard squirrels to hurl the pears they keep nicking from our tree at intruding cats and potential burglars.

OP, it's 'umbrage'.

You will require planning permission for any new fence, gate or wall over 2m in height. This will normally include the addition of trellis panels on top of an existing fence if this takes the overall height to above 2m. This may technically also include the addition of wires and brackets to carry a climbing shrub, although this can sometimes be open to interpretation You do not require planning permission to grow a thorny plant along the top of your 2m fence (providing there are no support structures over 2 metres) unless there are covenants or restrictions. Check with your local planning

Therefore clear signage warning of an injurious topping on your wall or fence will limit your liability providing that signage is specific to the risk, e.g. ‘Danger of Injury Do not climb over spikes’ and the danger can be seen. It therefore follows that you should not put injurious toppings on the inside face of a fence or wall (such as carpet gripper) or otherwise hide them, even if you have put up warning signs.

I doubt anyone can read your 'warning sign' in the dark...

Nanny I think you are on hiding to nothing with the OP on this one.

Oh, Lordy. Sorry OP that's just not a normal thing to do, really.

Gosh, Happy, how kind of you to point that out. Totally off-topic, of course, but kind of you to take time out of your busy day.

Fence doesn't need planning permission it's 6ft, as allowed in our bylaws, Nanny.

Oops, posted too soon. The wire isn't/wouldn't be all along the top it's nailed to the front of the fence to trail plants along.

That's even worse OP. You do realise that you and your DH are highly likely to be the only people injured by your frankly stupid barbed wire addition to the fence?

Cats can't read either.

"Do not use barbed wire, razor wire or broken glass on walls or fences to protect your property - you could be held legally responsible for any injuries caused. Plastic spikes are a legal and safer alternative to the traditional use of gripper rods and glass on exterior walls and fences and is available on the Internet in a variety of colours."

This ^^ is from the Northumbria Police website.

This website clarifies the legal position as well.

Using water to deter cats is excellent advice. They hate it but it doesn't harm them in any way.

It is the law that neighbours have the pretty side, unless your neighbour lets you have the pretty side.

My neighbour thought that was a stupid law and thought that both sides of the fence were just as pretty as eachother.
Most people cover their fence with plants and bushes and the fence can't be seen anyway.

I noticed that he erected his fence with the pretty side facing his garden and not his neighbour's. He even cut a bit out of neighbours shed to get his fence post on his neighbour's land

I still have the scar from a barbed wire tear when I was at junior school - many moons ago.- on the base of my thumb bone just above the wrist.

I have seen it now used only to fence in sheep.

I think it's a bit daft but DH does like a freebie and he's the gardener so the only person likely to get hurt is him.

It seems to be legal for the farmer to have an unmarked barbed wire fence around his field so we can't be liable to injuries from the one at the bottom.

DH is distracting himself by digging over the veggie patch now. I think he is reconsidering.

It is NOT the law that the neighbours have the pretty side. Not at all.

Very, occasionally there may be something written about what type of fences must be used in covenants/deeds but it's not common.

Op, if you fence is on the border then I can't see how you DH can ensure the barbed wire doesn't hang over the fence into your neighbours 'airspace'. That wouldn't be ok.

I hate the site of barbed wire but you can do what you like to your own fence and to both sides of it. You could paint the whole thing bright yellow if you wanted.

You DH sounds a bit daft.

Why did you bother asking, then getting offended when people told you that you and your husband were being unreasonable? You should have posted in chat. "My husband has put up barbed wire and my neighbour doesn't like it and is worried about his cat, but screw him as it's my fence and I'll do what I like!"

Even the police advise against it.

OP, is your DH really the gardener? Newly-planted wisterias needs careful pruning in the early days, I wouldn't like to have to work around barbed-wire while I was doing it.

Have you missed all the post about how barbed wire is completely unsuitable for climbing plants, as it tears them, or are you just ignoring them?

I asked because (whether or not it's a good idea) I don't think it's up to our neighbour to tell us what we can or cannot do on our side of our fence.

That's why DH is reconsidering, Biscuit. His love of something free was the driving force.

I can't see it anywhere, but does the op have children or ever let children into her garden?

It's not up to you neighbour, no
Unless it breaks the law
But if you do something that will A. look awful and B. possibly hurt their pet, it is unreasonable of you to not take their views on board.

Also - "It seems to be legal for the farmer to have an unmarked barbed wire fence around his field so we can't be liable to injuries from the one at the bottom.", on this you are wrong. Because someone else does it and gets away with it is no defence.

It just seems very irresponsible! A visitor to your garden could hurt themselves on it if they were to handle the climbing plants which will obscure it.