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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To use measures like spikes to keep them out of my garden?

64 replies

Malikka · 01/09/2020 20:58

I live next door to a horrible family. Bullying, sneery parents and their annoying offspring. My neighbours the other side btw are lovely, very quiet, 2 children under 5 who I barely see and when they are in the garden just chat and play nicely. This lot are a different matter.

Although the noise the awful side make is annoying, I've learned to live with it. What I can't tolerate is them letting themselves into my garden.

Some years ago I spotted the kids in my garden a few times and told them to leave. They had climbed over a lowish fence. The eldest was about 6 at the time and said 'youre not allowed to tell me what to do'...The mother then had a go at me for daring to speak to her kids and started screaming about me being mental (I take medication for anxiety and depression).

The fence then broke probably due to being climbed on, and there were a few more occasions of them just walking into my garden usually to get a ball they had kicked over or a toy or shoe one of them had chucked over. There are 5 children so lots of items.

I then replaced the fence. It is now 6ft high. Great. I also put a lock on the gate in our side alley. No more entries I thought.

A few weeks ago we went away for a short break. On the morning we were leaving I remembered seeing one of next doors balls in the garden and mentally thinking I needed to chuck it back. Halfway down the motorway I realised I'd forgotten.

When we got back it wasn't there. I assumed my DC had chucked it back. Just to be sure I checked the gate, it was locked.

Yesterday evening about 7pm I was home on my own having a bath. Heard the doorbell ring. Ignored it. My bathroom window overlooks the garden and is quite low, although it's frosted you can see shapes/ movement through it. A short while later I see something in the garden.

Get out of the bath, and look out the other window, brat from next door is in my garden retrieving a ball under the instruction/ supervision of the dad.

I have checked and the gate is definitely locked so either he climbed over that or climbed over the fence.

In my view both are completely unacceptable. Especially given it was with the dad's knowledge (my parents would never have told me to do this sort of thing and been furious if they found out I had! Likewise me with my DC).

Clearly I can't speak to the parents. I feel quite bullied here. Am trying to think of measures to keep them out - are pigeon spike things legal? Can I mount them on the fence and the gate?

If not are there other measures I can take? I just want peace and privacy. It's bad enough with all the noise let alone kids just wandering into my garden at will.

OP posts:
KarlKennedysDurianFruit · 01/09/2020 22:38

A house near my local train station is on a corner plot and has a lovely old brick wall about six feet high and concreted all along the top are bits of broken thick glass bottle, painted dark green to make them less noticeable, not legal but I assumed someone was at the end of their tether ...

Iamthedevilinthedetail · 01/09/2020 22:47

You can put cat spikes up but I suspect they'll just throw a jacket over first. You could put bird netting up.

Iamthedevilinthedetail · 01/09/2020 22:51

I assume they're not going out of their way to get the ball etc into your garden, so simple preventative measures, like extra netting or chicken wire to raise the fence height a bit more might help. If the fence is currently 6 feet another 2 feet of chicken wire might make them think twice about climbing it. 8 feet is a bigger drop. If they're coming under it then who knows what to do. They sound awful.

CarolVordermansArse · 01/09/2020 22:51

Please don't do anything that would injure animals or birds. There was a thread a while ago about a cat that was injured by spikes.

Miljea · 01/09/2020 22:51

Try cat spikes?

Tootletum · 01/09/2020 22:56

I would get a rottweiler. They're pretty low maintenance but will fix the problem pronto.

Jaxhog · 01/09/2020 22:56

Anti-climb paint would be my choice. They'll not climb over after the first time. Hang a sign and take a photo. In case they remove it and get nasty about it.

BashfulClam · 01/09/2020 22:58

I’d go fir the anti climb paint.

willloman · 01/09/2020 22:59

Would not do spikes but would plant Rue or euphorbia or thistles or some such to make unpleasant landing if they're climbing over!

DdraigGoch · 01/09/2020 23:01

@Malikka

I don't think I could concrete it in as the fence posts and floor are already concrete/ paved.

Disappointed I can't use spikes or anything either. Seems like I just have to put up with then trespassing whenever they want 😕

You can't use spikes to stop humans. You can, however use spikes to stop cats. If cat-stopping spikes happen to stop humans too then that's just a coincidence...
maddening · 01/09/2020 23:14

Trellis. Along the top and train roses with spiky thorns along - even over the gate, possibly using an arch over the gate.

SummerPoppies · 01/09/2020 23:18

My fence panels are the slot in type. I got some U nails and wire cord.
At the bottom of each panel I put a U nail at each side and threaded the wire cord through them, pulling it taut and attaching it firmly to each end panel.
It took me around 15 minutes to do.
They now can't be lifted.
As for the fence top, used cooking fat applied with a paint brush or none drying anti climb paint.
Plenty of thorny shrubs on your side, Berberis and Holly are good.

Original poster
Malikka · 01/09/2020 23:25

I think they must be lifting the panel. It seems more likely than climbing over the fence. Have ordered the brackets linked to upthread and will be fitting as soon as they arrive.

I think I need to try and do something with the gate, it's 6ft, metal but the design means it is probably claimable. Maybe spikes on that, or anti climb paint. Or both!

Can't plant anything near or around the gate as it's in the alley which is all concrete and narrow so no room for pots or anything either.

OP posts:
sparklystarshinebright · 01/09/2020 23:33

I can sympathize, not sure how long your alley is but if you grew pyracantha in pots up chicken wire on the fence, it would stop them coming over or under. Secure the panels to stop them being lifted. They can't jump over if the pots are there as there is nowhere for their feet to land. I live on a corner and have pyracantha down the length of the fence, it grows fairly quickly and is very spiky. It's 1 foot deep and currently has berries on it that the birds will eat. Good luck

HeckyPeck · 01/09/2020 23:42

Something like this would work well as well as the brackets to stop them sliding the panels. protectapet.com/cat-fence/

Serin · 01/09/2020 23:56

There is a rose called Phillipe De Kiftsgate, or something similar. It used to be grown up castle walls to deter intruders. We planted one about 50m away from our house and it has formed an impenetrable barrier all down one side of the garden and over the garage. Unfortunately consuming the greenhouse on it's way.Shock
It's very pretty, smells gorgeous and the birds love it.

Original poster
Malikka · 02/09/2020 12:12

The alleyway runs the length of the house, so is about 25ft long, the gate is near the front, the whole alley is only about 2ft wide so there isn't room for pots, if I put them in we wouldn't be able to walk along it. likewise if I put them near the gate we couldn't use that either.

OP posts:
yetanothernamitynamechange · 02/09/2020 12:42

I came on to say anti-bird/anti-cat spikes can hurt cats. I dont know the thread @CarolVordermansArse mentioned but one time I did find a VERY badly injured cat and had to work out who the owner was and when she answered the door she was a very frail looking woman who got very upset (screamed) when she saw the cat and we ran the animal ambulance but I dont think the cat made it. WHole thing was horrible so Im very anti catspikes now

Original poster
Malikka · 02/09/2020 13:04

Fair enough, I don't want to be responsible for maiming a cat (tbh I get v few cats in my garden, probably more of next doors kids than cats if anything) I just want to try and make my garden secure against unwanted human visitors...

OP posts:
Sorka · 02/09/2020 13:12

That would do my head in OP. Can you put a camera is the garden so you can see how they’re doing it? Or even put one in a back room looking out over the garden for a few days?

Original poster
Malikka · 02/09/2020 13:22

I have a camera in my front window (basically showing my car/ driveway) but I don't know how I could do anything in the alley as there's only 1 window on the side of the house and it's quite small so a camera would only show what's right in front of it, I wouldn't be able to see the gate/ length of the alley from that unfortunately.

If I put a camera at the back overlooking the garden it would just show them in there, not how they're getting in.

OP posts:
LookItsMeAgain · 02/09/2020 13:52

Sounds like you might need two additional cameras @Malikka. One that covers the back garden (so you can see them when they are there) and one that is run out of the back or front of the house that takes in the entire length of the side passage-way so that you can see how they are getting in. You must make sure that it only covers your property and no one elses or you could be in trouble for privacy issues.

OverTheRainbow88 · 02/09/2020 14:01

Could you have a flower bed going the whole way along the fence and plant biggish planets/bushes in there so there’s nowhere to land once over the fence

FooFighter99 · 02/09/2020 14:08

@Tootletum

I would get a rottweiler. They're pretty low maintenance but will fix the problem pronto.
That's rubbish. Our Rottie (big, dopey, 8st fuckwit that he was) would have welcomed any kids into the garden and just played with them!

Besides, you do NOT want a guard dog just to deter nuisance neighbor kids, because it will backfire spectacularly

1940s · 02/09/2020 14:14

Have you ever said to them if they knock for a ball (within reasonable hours) you'd be happy to give the ball back?