AIBU kids in my tree

[Kitchenbound]

I have a tree in my front yard near the street that the neighbourhood kids climb and play in constantly. While I love that they're active and playing outside this tree is over concrete and I have asked them to stay out of it as I don't want them to get hurt (already had a few near misses). Things have now escalated as they still climb the tree but are breaking branches off and dropping them on my car. AIBU to speak to parents about it?

Absolutely cracking up laughing - i could combine looking deranged while pelting apples?

While I'm prepared to do it I'm not thrilled about writing letters, it's too easy for someone to take it the wrong way and then I'll be the one running from deranged apple throwers. Same story with yelling at them - while they are being little shits and probably deserve a good bollocking I feel it should come from the parents. If you yell at my kiss there better be a damn good reason/ I've been told about the behaviour but not stopped it.

Time to put on my happy face and start making the rounds to my neighbours!

Trespassing in someone's garden IS a damn good reason for getting yelled at!

We have similar issue in our garden with large apple tree that has unknown apples on it (not crab apples that much I know).

Each year kids pick or try and pick the tree and eat the apples - each year I write a post ok our FB page stating the below.

The Apple tree is in private garden.

Apple tree may not be edible fruit.

Pick the fruit and get sick and complain = trespassing complaint and you have one sore belly.

Pick the fruit off pavement and get sick and complain = get your manky kids telt for eating off the ground.

The tree is well maintained and a wasp magnet in autumn for the decaying fruit but litterly has hundreds of fruit each year.

I also screen shot this each year with date and time so any complaints I just show them the image and they have no ground to stand on.

A few ideas:
Electrified wiring around the tree.
A sign to mind the rabid squirrel.
A sign saying any injuries are not your responsibility and trespassers will be pelted with apples.
Put grease around the trunk.
Invite the kids in and lock them in your cellar/cupboard.

Use your garden hose.
Set automatic watering system with motion detector.

Gryffen they clearly shouldn't be picking your fruit from your garden (though the stuff that falls on the pavement it's surely fair game?) but I'd laugh at that message. You have an apple tree in your garden that is filled with fruit every year but you've never even tried to eat one?!!! If it's an apple tree, it's really quite likely to have edible apples on, and certainly if kids are liking them enough to eat them! And how manky is your pavement that you wouldn't eat an apple that had fallen on it?!

Have you ever thought about going out and joining them to play/climb the tree each time? Its unlikely they will want to continue then!!
Crazy outfit optional. Only get to the top of the tree if you can get down again.

Coat the tree with golden syrup

Hi frog- nope never eaten one as I know these apples arent ripe until the end of the season due to next door neighbour eating them and being violently sick within a matter of hours.

Also the post is meant to be humerous - but a clear warning to any idiots who are new and stamp or damage the tree.

We live beside a massive country park and the field next to us used to be a German/POW camp which is now being used to build houses - our whole area has dog issues and quite honestly the squirrels, foxes and deer we get normally trim the ground anyway.

Simple common sense in Glasgow- don't eat of ground as opposite garden is drain pipe which overflows a lot. 🙄

gryffen - can you pop a big sign up - 'Do not eat, apples have been sprayed with pigs' urine'.

Lop off lower branches ~ end the issue at the roots. (Tee Hee)

So I spoke to some parents and i got a kids will be kids they won't fall little Johnny has really good balance! Kind of response. So now going to start looking into some sort of fencing around the bloody tree to keep them off it. In the meantime... I guess I'll have to break out some horrifying clothes and climb the tree with them!

We had a similar tree near my parents when we grew up in the 1980s. One day the lady started to smear lard all over it & we never climbed it again.

Unfortunately, it is true that a duty of care is owed even to trespassers, so if one of those kids is badly hurt in an accident the parents could sue you if they're CFs. That is something to be aware of.

What Lizzie says ^

You could be liable for an injury they sustain.

Not wanting to make this all serious but as a law teacher I feel I should tell you that you could be in trouble if anything happens.
Although they initially seem like trespassers the doctrine of allurement applies to children which basically says if you have something on your land that is attractive to children then they are lawful visitors. Equally if someone makes repeated visits they become a lawful visitor. Any warning up give needs to be a forceful ‘you are not allowed on my land, it is dangerous’. This should be repeated whenever you see them. Turning a blind eye won’t help you. As lawful visitors they are covered under the OLA 1957.
My best advice would be to attach a sign to the tree that says ‘warning private land, do not climb. Any trespassers do so at their own risk. We do not accept any responsibility for any injuries caused while trespassing’. And check your house insurance will cover you!