Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Abu to be incredibly angry about a drone flying over my garden??

181 replies

Splandy · 14/07/2016 21:25

I have seen a drone flying over mine and my neighbours gardens for the past six months or so. Found it mildly annoying but it was a fair distance from my windows so didn't think about it too much. I could hear it tonight when i was in my garden. Looked around for it and it 'saw' me, so clearly has a camera attached. It stopped whizzing around and hovered above me, below the roof of my house, watching me. I am so fucking angry right now. Both rooms facing onto the garden have patio doors, so this person could potentially be watching me in my own home.

I called the police and they gave me an appointment for Monday. Yeah have since called back telling me that there isn't an offence being committed, so the appointment will be cancelled and the neighbourhood team may contact me instead. But may not. I told him that I'd easily found information online stating that a drone cannot be flown within 50 metres of a person, which it definitely was, but it made no difference. What if it had crashed into my house, which it was incredibly close to? What if it crashed into me?? I also believe I have a right to privacy on my own property. Made no difference, appointment cancelled. Am I supposed to just accept being fucking spied on in my own home and garden? I don't even open the blinds in my kitchen because i value my privacy and can easily be seen there, but have to accept that somebody can film me and my kids???

OP posts:
GarlicStake · 14/07/2016 22:37

Being a boring fan of using the law where appropriate, I'd type out a notice saying "You are contravening Civil Aviation Authority Article 166.3 and Article 167.1. I have filmed your unmanned aircraft and will be reporting you." And film it, obviously.

If it paid another visit, I would thoroughly enjoy smashing its little plastic body with anything available - and any claim for damages would be even more fun

GarlicStake · 14/07/2016 22:39

If I could [a] afford one, and [b] work a game controller with any degree of success, I'd definitely go for observer's suggestion!

I can't and I can't, though, so I'd be hanging out the window with a mop handle.

RosieWithTheGoodHair · 14/07/2016 22:39

OP, are you in the south east? I know someone who's been complaining of the exact same thing...

ChunkyHare · 14/07/2016 22:43

My FIL had this with a drone actually hovering outside of his windows to look in.

Police didn't give a shit about it. Basically implied he was old and maybe technology was scary Sad

My FIL was concerned that he lived in a bungalow and it could well be a burglar outside on the street, flying a drone into the back gardens to look into the windows to see if they had anything worth nicking. Plus this was actually looking into his bedrooms. And they still didn't care.

Mummyme1987 · 14/07/2016 22:43

I would feel like it was filming me inside. Creepy as anything. Can you post on local fb sites?

ABCAlwaysBeCunting · 14/07/2016 22:44

Semi Normal Don't be disingenuous. It's obvious what you mean.

Perhaps you don't understand the damage a false accusation of this sort can cause.

Mummyme1987 · 14/07/2016 22:45

Ask if anyone knows who is flying the drone in your street. Bet someone knows

Mummyme1987 · 14/07/2016 22:47

Mention all the creepy stuff

FasterThanASnakeAndAMongoose · 14/07/2016 22:52

How creepy! I'm annoy on your behalf OP.

I agree with pps who've suggested taking to local facebook sites. I'd probably go knocking on doors too. If it is teenagers then you might hopefully get their parents answering the door. Fingers crossed they'd be horrified if they realised their little darlings were responsible.

FasterThanASnakeAndAMongoose · 14/07/2016 22:52

*annoyed

amarmai · 14/07/2016 22:52

A paintball gun.

SemiNormal · 14/07/2016 22:53

ABCAlwaysBeCunting I wasn't being Hmm - how could someone do it deliberately? they wouldn't know there was a naked child in the garden without first flying the drone over the garden so any images of a sort captured would be captured accidently unless it saw the child and then continued hovering for a period of time.

Deux · 14/07/2016 22:55

Oh yes good idea, your local Facebook page and Streetlife even to ask for advice, what you can do etc. You can give the name of your road but not your number?

Our community police and local paper reporter are on our local FB page too.

NCInger · 14/07/2016 22:55

Super soaker from an upstairs window, power the fucker down.
I think contacting the police again saying you are seeing it at your windows where your children run around naked isn't exaggerating.

Wyldfyre · 14/07/2016 22:57

Surely the police should be treating this as a breach of the peace at a minimum as it's clearly causing the OP "fear and alarm"?

As for the paedophile question - the OP doesn't know the pilot is, but equally doesn't know that they aren't. Having a fear that her naked son may have been captured on video is a legitimate one

LurkingHusband · 14/07/2016 22:58

I believe the US approach (Texas ?) involves a 12-bore ...

JackieAndHyde4eva · 14/07/2016 23:01

I wonder if there is a way of hacking into a drone to track it and see where it is being controlled from?

SpaceDinosaur · 14/07/2016 23:05

BB gun.
Super soaker
Destroy the nasty fucker.

Also. What the PP said. Contact police, ask to speak with someone more senior and get them to put their "I CBA" in writing.

cdtaylornats · 14/07/2016 23:05

The police are not the people to report this to as its a breach of an Air Navigation Order CAP 722.

Contact
SIDD (SDU 3)
Safety Regulation Group
Civil Aviation Authority
Aviation House
Gatwick Airport South
West Sussex
RH6 0YR
Tel: 01293 573220
Fax: 01293 573972
E-mail to: [email protected]

TondelayaDellaVentamiglia · 14/07/2016 23:05

could you do that flame thrower thing with an aerosol and a lighter?? I have always wanted to do that!

or on a less inflammatory note....if it is close to the house can someone Silly String it....you know that stuff....even if a little bit of it got on the rotors I bet it'd crash.

Mel0Drama · 14/07/2016 23:08

A pp mentioned a judge rinder episode involving drones. It really might be worth trying to find the episode on youtube or whatever. The laws concerning these things are really strict!

roseteapot101 · 14/07/2016 23:10

my house does not have a outside tap i got a attachment for the hose to attach it to the kitchen tap.Then lead hose out window

i would go outside to water the flowers

o dear my finger slipped

cdtaylornats · 14/07/2016 23:10

They may also be in breach of CAA rules if they do not have 3rd party insurance.

If they ever sell a photograph they would move into commercial use and would need to go on a training course and learn a million new regulations.

It should be a requirement for those selling drones to have to provide a printed copy of all applicable rules & regulations. No one would ever get one home.

SaveSomeSpendSome · 14/07/2016 23:11

Is today the first time you have seen it?

It may be very new to its owner and they are just practising with it and are not 100% familiar with controlling it yet.

Just5minswithDacre · 14/07/2016 23:12

Get a couple of THESE at least until he gets bored.

Swipe left for the next trending thread