Children playing in garden

[SMarie123]

My neighbours have an electrical cable running along the wall between our two houses. I have a 4 year old and a 2 year year old, we are in Ireland so we have been home for 3 weeks already.

My husband is a front of line healthcare worker and is doing 13 hour days every day (including long days from home at weekends) I am supposed to be working but really I am minding kids... thank god for nice bosses. anyway yesterday I was on conference calls and I put them in the garden. There was no drama specifically, but I could tell I was causing the neighbours annoyance (they are retired and like to spend time in the garden. The man is always doing gardening and they watch him as they are home in the day just now).

Anyway the lady complained that the 4 year old pulled the wire (didn't break it or anything). She said she was concerned for his safety.., in the grand scheme of things it is just such a petty point but she went on and on.... Now I feel like I can't put them in the garden which is super annoying. He hasn't gone near the wire again but it was such a dramatic reaction.

I am torn between bringing round a card to apologise and just being indignant. Longer term I don't think it pays to fall out with your neighbours.

The wire is their problem and they need to make it safe. If your children staring at them is causing them annoyance then THEY need to raise the fence to solve their issues. Aa for supervision of little kiddies, you have said already you can see them from where they are. Good grief, are people wanting you to be directly next to them at every moment of their play time? Children, even little ones, need to explore their surroundings. I was allowed to roam my garden at a very young age and so were my children. We are still here and totally unscathed. I may have consumed a bit of mud and so may my children, had a few scrapes etc. But that is how we learn caution and independence. I dont think you're in the wrong at all .

You need to watch your children, but your neighbors need to watch their electric wire.

Sorry OP, I don't know who this electrician is, but 240V can still be very dangerous, principally the question is how many amps it is, which you will struggle to ID over facetime. Is it a big thick black cable that is heavy to move and quite rigid (doesn't bend easily)? Or is it some other colour and not rigid?

The whole point of having a garden is somewhere for children to play safely without constant supervision.

@Kastanien if the party wall belongs to the neighbours they shouldn’t be touching it.

niugboo That may be the case but the neighbours are hardly going to be able to legally enforce that- courts would see it as a trivial issue. A child being electrocuted on the other hand would be a massive deal.

My kids play unsupervised in the garden - it's small, secure and nothing they can get in to troubled with. I let them potter in and out without watching them like a hawk (the one place they can do that) They have plenty to do out there that is safe and from my shoe box house I can always see them if I am indoors. Kids need a bit of freedom to explore for themselves to learn for themselves and to entertain themselves, it's hugely important for their development!

As far as the cable goes - the neighbours need to sort it out, it's not ok to have a live cable where the neighbours kids can get it. It should be armoured and underground on their side (I was looking at supplying the shed with a light and heat to the greenhouse but actually when I discovered the work and cost of doing it properly and legally I decided it wasn't that important to install it at all!).

I too have neighbours that don't want the bother of my kids in my garden. They are small gardens close together but my kids are pretty quite and well behaved, no peeking over the fence or bothering the neighbours, no screeching or screaming or shouting, they just potter and pinkle but the neighbours have loud phone calls about how they cant be in the garden as we are always out there (we aren't, just pop in and out as they are being home schooled right now) and how we are selfish. Nothing directly to me, just these phone calls in the garden on loud speaker. (they never in 10 years have used the phone in the garden and only do it for these calls about us in the garden when we are also out there). Some people suddenly seem to think that they have more right to so things than others. If they had said 'we're worried about being out at the same time could we arrange something where we could be out alone' I would have understood and worked something out but they have completely blanked me since lockdown for what reason I have no idea!

Don't send a card it's not necessary - they shouldn't have the cable there and your kids can be there just as much as your neightbours.

You are not being at all unreasonable. Of course your children can play in your garden while you watch from the house, if you can see them. Your, house, your kids, if you feel they are safe I'm sure they are.

Your neighbour's cable though is bang out of order. Dangerous for your children and unsightly. I would ask them to move it onto their side of the wall. You should be able to make your own garden safe for your children, and you can't if they are leaving dangerous things on the wall. If they won't move it I would consider putting a 6' privacy fence up. All problems solved. "Good fences make good neighbours."

Dear neighbour, Im sorry my son gave you an anxious moment yesterday touching the electrical cable. I have spoken to him firmly and asked him not to touch it again. However I do feel that you have some responsibility in this matter to ensure that a live electrical cable is properly housed to ensure the safety of all concerned. If there was an accident then akward questions might be asked by the authorities as to why this had not been done. So I will respectfully suggest that you get this work done as soon as possible.