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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to report the fuckwit with an anti child alarm next to the school?

85 replies

YetAnotherUser · 22/05/2018 09:20

So, walking my youngest to school over the past few days I've been noticing a high pitched whine. I didn't pay it much attention at first, but it happens every time we walk past a pair of semi detached houses (unclear which one it is).

It appears someone has installed one of those anti-child alarm things, RIGHT NEXT TO A FUCKING SCHOOL. I'm in my mid 30's and can hear it quite clearly, goodness knows what it must be like for the actual children it's supposed to repel as they walk to their place of education

OP posts:
GruffaIo · 22/05/2018 10:40

Our old neighbour had one in his garden for birds. Awful noise. I called Environmental Health. Unfortunately, the officer who visited couldn't hear it (!), but wrote him a letter and he removed it.

Riv · 22/05/2018 10:46

I can hear them and I'm in my 60's they are incredibly painful. I feel for you and your daughter Purple - it's like being stabbed with long sharp needles. Even 30 seconds is agony for me, so what it is like for younger people I would not like to consider. If you can't hear it it is hard to realise how awful it is. I do remember the pain caused by my mother's tiny midge repellent device when I was a child and that was very small and relatively quiet.
I do sympathise with you.

Bearhunter09 · 22/05/2018 10:51

Jesus. I don’t think it matters if it’s for kids and cats. It’s obviously painful for both. It’s so bloody inconsiderate, they should come with warnings if they are not banned. If it is for kids the bloke is a teat if the highest order. Anyone who puts antifreeze out for cats (I’m not really a cat lover myself) deserves to be forcefed it themselves

Plipplops · 22/05/2018 10:55

We have a cat one but I can't leave it switched on as the noise drives me crazy. It did stop the cats too though...

DesignedForLife · 22/05/2018 10:59

"Given that you're in your 30s and can hear it I suspect it's an anti-cat alarm not an anti-child one."

Both DH and I are well into our 30's and can hear "anti-child alarms" mosquitoes outside of shops. Hearing degrades at different rates for different people. Some are able to hear very high frequencies much longer than others.

CruCru · 22/05/2018 10:59

The thing is, people are allowed to walk on the pavement outside other people's houses. Having something that goes off every time someone walks on the (public) pavement is just plain antisocial.

My Mum had neighbours who had a security light go off every time someone walked past their terraced house. It was like having a light shone into your face by an interrogator.

VforVienetta · 22/05/2018 11:02

I have small children AND anti-cat things. I’m just sick of cats crapping all over the lawn, and my kids just turn them to the fence when they play near them.
I’m seriously considering facing one to the pavement to stop dogs stopping there for their morning shit - hardly anyone seems to pick it up outside our house. Utterly sick of it. This could be why they have one too.
Ours are movement activated, and i can hear them too, so i’m hoping we don’t need them long term, it is a horrid noise, we just needed to break the habits of the local felines who think our garden is the local lav!

Andro · 22/05/2018 11:03

IIIustriousIyIllogical - if the impact only lasted the 30 seconds it wouldn't be that bad, but it doesn't. I'm similar to purple in that this level of noise can completely neutralise me, it takes quite a while to recover - and if you weren't expecting it (and thus able to take precautions) the impact could be dangerous.

Rainydaydog · 22/05/2018 11:07

Anti child alarm? I'm getting one for my bedroom!

LeighaJ · 22/05/2018 11:09

This reminds me of a recent thread where the OP wanted to know whether or not to tell the council to fuck off, because they wanted to investigate the noise complaint made by their neighbour for a sound only she could hear. Makes me wonder now if she was hearing an anti-whatever alarm.

I didn't know these things even existed.

Ohlalasayohla · 22/05/2018 11:10

One of my DS is really upset by these. Since early childhood he used to have a meltdown near certain shops. Now he can talk he describes what its like for him. Needless to say those shops lost our custom and we are a family of 6, so I spend a lot (more than I should).

We do have a neighbourhood cat who pisses all over my garden. Wish I could easily get rid....

Lizzie48 · 22/05/2018 11:14

*But then I'd have to go back to Gin Traps & saucers of anti-freeze.

I prefer the alarms myself....*

This is a disgrace. Hopefully it's not true, and if it is you could face a jail term.

I've reported your comment anyway. Angry

specialsubject · 22/05/2018 11:15

moving to a house near a school means accepting noise, litter, bad parking and so on. If this person has just moved there it is a bit strange.

but if you are subject to vandalism and nuisance from brats brought up by the 'free-spirit' types, your opinion on devices to keep them away may change....

cats are best dealt with using a powerful water pistol.

Lizzie48 · 22/05/2018 11:21

Water pistols are definitely the best way to keep cats away. Cat owners don't have an issue at all with them. But cat owners really should mitigate the problem by providing litter trays for their pets, and provide areas in the garden where they can do their business. My cats appear to only use our garden.

UserInfinityplus1 · 22/05/2018 11:22

Um it's a deterrent for a dog not a child!

You could actually be talking about my house; I live in a semi around the corner from a school and we have one of these. The reason is because people were letting their dogs shit all over our lawn so obviously we wanted to put a stop to it.

I doubt the school management team would be interested if you complained and if they did say anything to the owner I'm sure they would be met with a polite "mind your own business".

And before you ask I have my own small children and they are not bothered by it in the slightest.

BluthsFrozenBananas · 22/05/2018 11:22

We recently put cat scarers on our front lawn. We've lived in the house for three years, suddenly about six months ago all the local cats decided to use our lawn as an al fresco litter box en masse. The day I cleared seven piles of fresh shit up I snapped and got the scarers, no more cat shit. Cats are probably crapping on this persons drive way, unless gangs youths are massing outside their house I can't imagine anyone buying child scarers to annoy passing children.

VforVienetta · 22/05/2018 11:24

special that’s my next port of call, but I don’t fancy lying in wait with a super soaker all day for the minute it takes the cat to lay its giant turd! I seriously thought a dog was getting in until i caught it red-bottomed...

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 22/05/2018 11:24

God that would drive me mad!
I used to be able to hear the whine of the tv (back in the day pre-digital tvs) on the way up the drive to my parents' house. An "anti-child/dog/cat" alarm would kill my ears!

RavenLG · 22/05/2018 11:48

It activates every time someone walks in front of the house, and they don't have a front garden/lawn, they have a driveway and a garage. If it was legitimately anti-animal, I'd expect it to be to the rear of their property where I assume they have a garden
Could be a cat / fox getting in the garage, climbing over garage to get to garden. It says a lot about you automatically go to anti-child. Has any of your little precious darlings complained or are you doing it on their behalf?

IIIustriousIyIllogical · 22/05/2018 11:53

This is a disgrace. Hopefully it's not true, and if it is you could face a jail term.

LOL, obviously not - but some nasty people used to do it in the days before humane repellents.....

Water pistols are definitely the best way to keep cats away.

Only as long as you're sat there guarding the garden - so actually, not the best way at all. A 24/7 repellent is better.

IIIustriousIyIllogical · 22/05/2018 11:55

Cats are probably crapping on this persons drive way

Or putting muddy footprints all over their car.

At the end of the day, if they don't want cats on their property they're quite within their rights to place repellers.

IIIustriousIyIllogical · 22/05/2018 11:57

I'm similar to purple in that this level of noise can completely neutralise me, it takes quite a while to recover - and if you weren't expecting it (and thus able to take precautions) the impact could be dangerous.

You'd be fucked round here then, nearly every front garden has a cat repeller on it, you can tell the ones that don't - they're knee deep in turds!! Grin

I must admit, I've never noticed people keeling over on the pavement outside - are you exaggerating the effects at all? If not, then I hope you don't drive!!

soupforbrains · 22/05/2018 12:04

but the youth alarms aren't motion activated. they are continuous.

like i said do a bit of research and complain if you want. if it IS a youth deterrent then they're illegal, but I bet they're just trying to stop the animals crapping on their garden/driveway whatever it is.

robotcartrainhat · 22/05/2018 12:15

those are awful. Someone has one near me and it keeps me awake when I have the window open.... what is the point of them!?!

Kursk · 22/05/2018 12:16

Its most likely a animal deterrent. The kids are just collateral damage.

I was looking at these, they seemed like a good way to keep critters away from the chickens