To be absolutely furious over this?

[QuestionableMouse]

I'm really genuinely angry right now.

Just been out to take my dog our for his walk. I rent a private field behind my house for my exclusive use. It has a big wooden gate and is padlocked.

Went out tonight and there's a family with two big dogs in there. Car parked outside, music blaring. Dogs are running wild. Two 8-10 yo boys.

They'd cut my padlock off and basically taken over the place. There's rubbish all over. Looks like they'd dumped a couple of bin bags.

I lost it and told them to leave. They refused, and the dogs they had were getting upset so I walked away and I've just reported them to the police. Have their car details and some photos. The call handler didn't seem terribly impressed with their behaviour and apparently they're sending someone out for a chat.

I'm honestly shaking with anger. Why do people have to ruin stuff? It's going to take me hours tomorrow to get it back into usable condition and it's putting me at risk. ☹️☹️☹️

That's kind of you, OP - thank you. I've been complaining about people losing their empathy throughout this whole thing; needed to look to mine for a minute there!

Multivac - I suspect that if the family had just climbed over the gate to give the dog and kids a run and had not dropped litter or damaged anything, then left apologetically when called out, that the OP would not have minded nearly as much.

I grew up in the country but now am in the position where I am one of those people in a flat with my kids with no outdoor space. However, where it comes to private property such as fields there are some really basic rules, if there is a style or small pedestrian gate you are allowed to walk around the field, usually around the outside of it not just charge around all over it, you also don’t litter, ever and any dog mess is either to be picked up and taken with you or put into the hedge to decompose where no one will step on it. If a field has no styles or pedestrian gates or open gaps to walk into it is likely that there is no right of way through it and doing so is trespassing. Trespassers CAN be prosecuted but as a civil matter at the expense of the land owner. However since these people forced their way onto the property by breaking the lock that may be a different story because they damaged the property by forcing entry. They also damaged it by littering/fly tipping which the police should be able to issue a fine for. Also in the current situation if the police find their address is not local to your field then they could also get fined for travelling unnecessarily.

It’s not unreasonable to feel like you’ve been violated in a way. It’s your property, your safe place where you can walk your dog happily and whatever else you wish. If someone had asked permission to quickly walk their dog on the land or had been a bit cheeky and climbed the gate to get in for a walk but left sheepishly when asked this would be a whole different story. This is about someone being on and damaging your property not only without permission but even after you had asked them to leave and then getting angry with you as if you are wrong.

I hope they get at least some form of official warning or fine to make them think twice next time.

Please please please ask the police for their address so that you can go and picnic on their driveway and let your dog do it's business on their lawn when lockdown is over.

Please please please ask the police for their address so that you can go and picnic on their driveway and let your dog do it's business on their lawn when lockdown is over.

You have the right under a reasonable clause to ask the DVLA for the name and address of the registered keeper. Just fill in a V888.

Is there any evidence the rubbish is theirs? They’ll just say someone else did it no doubt. Bastards.

Absolute bastards. Can't bloody stand people like that. Just trash and the kids will end up the same with role models like that. Vicious circle. sorry op, that's crappy.

Disgusting behaviour I’d keep the farmers trailer in front of the gate and have his shot gun to hand next time!

The fact they're not apologetic I would pursue this for criminal damage... Not only have they broken your padlock is but the crap they left behind is also something you'll have to clear away as well so it is also damage. The police won't deal with the. For flytipping because its a civil matter but I would push for criminal damage and get compensation off them. Good luck OP

thats criminal damage police should threaten them with court. its no different to breaking a lock on a shed/garage ect.

I’d have gone up to them, looked really anxious and told them the field had been sprayed with some kind of licensed weed killer that is toxic to dogs and possibly children - hence the padlock. Maybe suggested a bit of a rash as symptom. Then exit very rapidly encouraging them to do the same and get themselves checked out. I’m pretty sure the idiots would’ve panicked and might think twice before doing anything like that again

Entitled.

I’d be tempted to redump the rubbish on their property, if you can find out where they live.
Any assistance from the police?

if it's bags of household rubbish, there may be something in there with name and address....

Odd they went to the trouble of braking the padlock. You might to take precautions to stop people moving vehicles in, perhaps big a small ditch around the boundary of the field.

You have to ask, who goes on a dog-walk with the kids and bolt-cutters?????

I answered that question very early on and was accused of hate speech. Go figure.

I didn't use hate speech by the way, I used one word that another user of the site considered unacceptable.