Neighbours having chat over my garden making me feel uncomfortable

[Fitlarwa]

Hi,
I live in a terraced house.
On my left I've got neighbours who in past harassed my family and since reported to the police they ignore us which is good!
On my right I've got their best friends who pretend that they are being polite to us.
Before you will jump to conclusions why neighbours dont like us I want to make it clear that they have got problem with our race and that as immigrants we have better jobs etc.

So while I'm at my garden I'm in between of two friends having chat over my head.
I've recently installed a 2m fence but that doesnt help as houses are raised and there are steps on which they stand. Then they have got their heads over my fence!
My son who's 12 and literally scared of neighbours on our left and avoids our garden because the talks that they have over his head ignoring his presence and invading his private space.

I feel it's all done on purpose to make us feel that we wont hide from them despite of 2 m fence.

Is there anything I can do?
Cant plant anything as there is no space.

Is there any law that gives me protection over their silly behaviour?
Right to privacy perhaps?

Will appreciate your support

25GetUpAgain

You sound lovely OP and I am sorry you have such bastard neighbours. Hope some of the ideas work on here. If you really want to mess with them, get a massive England flag and hang it where it will block their view. Blow their stupid racist minds.

^^This! Marvellous idea... they are ignorant people if they hold those views. You are as entitled as they to your home etc... they won't know what to do aboit the flag....it will blow their minds 🤣

I think a clothesline that attaches right next to your door and goes way out into your garden. Wonderful for hanging sheets.

Lots of good advice already, I just wanted to say I'm sorry they're horrible and racist and you and your son feel so unwelcome in your own home. You are welcome here, and they do not speak for the vast majority of people. I truly am sorry and I hope you get something sorted and feel better soon x

What about some netting to stop a ball going into other people's gardens?
www.amazon.co.uk/BallTM-Freestanding-Net-System-Sizes/dp/B012BZSCLU?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Same for me living in the middle of a row of three terraced houses.
I dared to ask one of them to let me have thirty minutes a day in the garden during covid without her smoking, coughing and standing near me. She's never spoken to me since and ganged up with the other side. Very very unpleasant situation to be in during lockdown.

What absolute CFs - this is rude and obviously done as some sort of weird intimidation tactic!! Buy some trees Or bamboo and put in raised planters along the fence or you can buy fake screening and screen them off! Or big awning but I definitely would not be putting up with that s*^t!! If it were me I’d be shouting ‘go out the front and have your chat not over my head Ya massive a holes!!’ But then I’m gobby like that.

Not sure about the law. Could you contact citizens advice? I would hate this too - even if they were both friendly to me. I would speak to them. Is there anything else you could erect? This is really rude of them. Your poor son.🙁I hope you sort it out.

Sounds awful. Not sure it has been suggested before, I would put CCTV, make it visible to them that you have cameras, record and report.

We have moaning neighbours, who bang on the walls everytime they think our kids are being too noisy (or being a normal 1 & almost 3yr old 🙄)
I just ignore them or "accidentally" make more noise myself.
Luckily their house is up for sale!
Ignore their threats about the council, if the noise isn't during anti social hrs (after 11pm, before 7am) it has to be persistent and over a certain amount of decibels, normal household noise with children and even music unless you set up loud speakers just won't do it. (I had a policeman tell me to let them moan to the council, they won't get anywhere and I teach singing lessons at home 3 days a week, though my studio is soundproofed except when it's really hot and I have to pop the Aircon vent out of the window, so if that isn't enough for the council, yours definitely won't be)

I think the best suggestions here is the hanging baskets either side of you back door, it subtle as you have just done up your garden so can just be a finishing touch, it's not right next to the fence for them to sabotage, but it should be just enough to block their view.

I am sorry you are going through it. It's a stressful situation, even for me and I am a confident person, happy to speak my mind when they have ranted at my door, (as they are most definitely unreasonable ones, they just spent a long time living next to a retired couple and now live next to someone who loves music and has toddlers!! But that's just tough, even the council website says "your neighbours don't owe you a quiet life"!!)

Try not to let them intimidate you and just live your lives as you would, that is your right in your own home....and get some hanging baskets. X

Jet washing is very noisy & messy. Also get some moral support, invite someone round if you can

Buy a Hot Tub, they're really quite noisy but excellent fun for you & your family... those dicks will soon give up, they'll be so jealous!!
The thing is to use your garden as much as possible and just ignore them, they are not worth the stress.
If not move house.

You could get a trampoline and when they shout, you could bob up and down on it.

From the pictures I think your best bet is a trellis or screen to the left of your door, tall enough to reach the level of the top of your door, going from the wall of the house to the end of the steps. You can cover it in garden fairy lights and it'll look beautiful and give you extra privacy.

They sounds horrible. Being overly nice to them is probably the best way. It will really annoy them and they’ll get fed up of you in the conversation!

If they keep reporting you for usual noise at reasonable hours the council will have a record of this.

Of course it's annoying for you but nothing comes of it unless you've been unreasonable.

However...... they can be slapped with a harassment order once they've made numerous vextacious complaints.

Or when they come out lay naked on that sofa. I'm sure they'll retreat quite quickly

Your garden is beautiful btw. Please don't let people intimidate you. It easier said than done but right now they have no reason to stop because they have intimidated you.

Some good suggestions here OP, just want to say I'm so sorry for the abuse you've received if you're in Cheshire let me know, I'll pop round and sort the badwords out xx

if it,s 5-10 mins i would try to ignore it .

I believe it’s three proven malicious complaints is enough for an harassment order 😏

I am so sorry you have horrible neighbours. What about some lovely hanging baskets with really long brackets and very long trailing plants. If plans aren't your forte, you could even put artifical plants in them! They would look so lovely against the brickwork too. X

How about bunting? Crisscrossed across the garden; it'll make your garden lovely and colourful, and the constant fluttering will be super offputting to hold a conversation across.

Your neighbours are bullies, racist bullies, and they won't stop until they get bored, which only happens when they no longer have any effect on you. If you go inside every time they come out they will keep doing it. You're in the process of fixing up your garden so keep going. Make noise, between 7am and 11pm environmental health won't do anything. Between 9am and 6pm is more considerate and no rational person could complain. If you're worried about complaints, keep a log of work times. But if the council thought you were being a nuisance they would have called around even in lock down. And actually if the council come around and see that they are bullying you then they can report you all they want, the council will tell them to stop wasting time reporting you.

The only way to get bullies to stop is to keep living your life, and to get others to realise who the bullies are. Invite your nice neighbours to slap up feast bbqs in garden. Let them see how lovely you are and what they're missing.

Lots of good suggestions have already been made. I think you should speak to planning and ask them what you can do. With elevated steps may be the 2 metre fence can be higher. In the long term if you own the property perhaps you can put in a conservatory or porch and block that side.

I think the hanging baskets by the door are the best idea. They’ll look lovely too! Sorry you’re going through this, they sound awful people

I'd plant a conifer hedge either side. They grow really quickly. It won't work straight away but will be worth it next Spring.

I second the suggestions of the fence planters. I’d fill with artificial grasses/plants as they’ll have guaranteed height but also your arsehole neighbours seem like the type to pour bleach into real plants.