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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbour seems to think he has the right to jump our fence

337 replies

Twatforaneighbour · 22/11/2021 20:24

We moved in about 3 years ago and put up a fence on top of an existing low height wall (which we own) across the front of our front garden which has a footpath the other side. We got planning to do this.

One of our neighbours had an issue with this, because his adult son (early 20s) liked to walk across our front garden and hop over our wall to save him from walking around. He put in a complaint when we went for planning saying that if the fence went up, we would need to make it safe as his son would be climbing over! The council made no comment on this.

This has made it inconvenient for him as it adds 5 mins walking time to walk down the road and up the public footpath. Since the fence went up, we clarified with the neighbour (the dad) that this was our property and our fence/wall, to make 100% sure there was no misunderstanding with who owns what, which he agreed.

We have now got video from our ring doorbell of "someone" walking across our garden and jumping the fence. It is unlikely to be anyone else as we are at the end if a small road.

What would you do? Trespassing is not a criminal offence. So far we cannot for sure identify the person as it was at night and not a great image.

They obviously see no issue with doing it so speaking to them wont help, Considered anti climb spikes but have seen you can be liable if trespasser gets injured on your property.
WIBU to get spikes if I put a warning with it?
Any suggestions? If he keeps doing it, it will end in damage to the fence and probably us paying for it Angry

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
jeaux90 · 23/11/2021 06:55

Bird/cat spikes on top of the fence. There are some low profile ones you hardly notice.

Memyselfandfood · 23/11/2021 06:57

@Cattenberg

I was on your side until I read that it takes the neighbour an extra five minutes to walk round. That adds up to a lot of wasted time. I’m not surprised he jumps the fence when he thinks you’re not looking.
Seriously? So inconvenience means it’s ok to trespass i to someone’s property? So you would be ok would all and sundry going through your property as it was quicker?
beekeepershat · 23/11/2021 06:59

How old is the son? Sounds like it would be worth speaking with him directly instead of his parents.

(I may be assuming you haven't don't this already, and apologies if so!)

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 23/11/2021 07:20

I can't believe climbing over a 2m fence is easier than walking around - that is very high so he can't be vaulting it?

If you want flowers and need spikes then roses are your friend. I have one which regularly spikes me and the thorns break off so you can end up covered in them if you're not careful. A decent thorny rose bush is not to be trifled with as a deterrent. The only issue is getting it established and growing well and him not trampling it while it's little. I wonder if you can buy mature roses. Also roses do love manure. Wink

Dilbertian · 23/11/2021 07:30

@Twatforaneighbour

Did consider anti climb paint but you have to put clear signs which the whole front of our house looks out onto as the fence is opposite, not the most aesthetic!
But do you have to put signs on the private side of the fence? Surely it's the public you have to inform?
Mummyoflittledragon · 23/11/2021 07:32

@BewareTheBeardedDragon

I can't believe climbing over a 2m fence is easier than walking around - that is very high so he can't be vaulting it?

If you want flowers and need spikes then roses are your friend. I have one which regularly spikes me and the thorns break off so you can end up covered in them if you're not careful. A decent thorny rose bush is not to be trifled with as a deterrent. The only issue is getting it established and growing well and him not trampling it while it's little. I wonder if you can buy mature roses. Also roses do love manure. Wink

In fairness when I was 20, working somewhere and living on site, I used to climb over the 2.5 m gate as it was faster than unlocking it. Used to piss me off clanking the key in the lock to find the connection (big metal key / gate). No cctv in thems days.
SunshineCake1 · 23/11/2021 07:41

@Twatforaneighbour

Did consider anti climb paint but you have to put clear signs which the whole front of our house looks out onto as the fence is opposite, not the most aesthetic!
The signs would be on the other side of the fence. You wouldn't be seeing them from your house.
Beautiful3 · 23/11/2021 07:43

Wow, that's unbelievable! I'd save so much time by walking through other people's gardens, but I don't!! Because it's rude and unacceptable. I'd put spikes on top, those anti deterrent cat ones.

FredaFox · 23/11/2021 07:51

Can't you put a gate at the bottom of your drive to stop him entering?

The family sound ridiculous

ColinTheKoala · 23/11/2021 08:04

@Cattenberg

Yes I am serious. The previous owners presumably had no problem with it.

Where I live, the postman often cuts across front gardens to get to neighbouring properties and no one gives a fig. And doing this saves him far less than five minutes.

I agree, the postman does it here too.

I couldn't get too worked up about someone using a corner of my garden as a shortcut - but I am not a keen gardener. And I suppose it's possible that others would see him doing it and follow suit and then it becomes a problem.

People blocking my driveway, on the other hand Angry

Volterra · 23/11/2021 08:08

I would be looking at landscaping the garden now it’s winter and a good time for bare root planting as others have said which you have until March to do.

First design the shape flower bed you want in that bit of garden, dig over and mulch very heavily with fresh manure that will be too fresh to plant in at the moment as needs to break down. You don’t want the well rotted one sold in the garden centre so see if you can find a riding stable somewhere where it’s nice and fresh and smelly.

Start planning thorny climbing roses and also clematis for the fence plus flowers for the bed in front of it, ones that you’ll enjoy looking at . Meanwhile you’ll obviously want to keep the cats off your freshly prepared flower bed and keep the manure damp so an automatic sprinkle should sort that .

Think of wildlife next , you’ll need some bird boxes and insect hotels on the fence so ultimately they become buried in with your climbing plants you’ll have.

Order the Sarah Raven catalogue for inspiration , have a cuppa and plan what flowers you would like for next year. Include some that make good cut flowers so next year you can have vases of ‘sod you lazy bastard next door’ flowers to admire - ideally nicely scented as a reward for lugging stinky bags of fresh manure this winter.

Thebookswereherfriends · 23/11/2021 08:19

Why on earth don’t the neighbours put a gate or low bit of fence on their own garden, so diddums can get straight into their property without going on someone else’s?

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 23/11/2021 08:24

But Colin he's not just cutting across a corner of an unfenced patch of lawn, he's climbing over 2m of fence that he doesn't own. Would you seriously be ok with that - if one of your neighbours decided they needed to climb over your high fence every day? I don't believe anyone would be. Jumping over a 2ft wall would be cheeky but climbing an actual fence taller than most people - that is something else.

No postie would climb a fence - it's really not comparable to cutting across where there's nothing in the way (by a person providing an actual public service)

DontTellThemYourNamePike · 23/11/2021 08:56

He's a lazy git. He shouldn't be trampling through your garden or climbing over your fence. If he had an illness which caused him difficulty with walking for an extra five minutes, I'd have some sympathy, but he must be physically fit if he can climb over your fence. I agree with suggestions that a motion detector sprinkler would be a good call.

And to those invoking the spirit of neighbourliness, how about HE behaves like a decent neighbour and stops using OP's garden as a convenient shortcut?

user1471538283 · 23/11/2021 08:57

Well it is good news that your garden is by the fence! I would buy mature scrubs or something thorny (holly?) and plant it all along the fence.

For people questioning why the OP is cross, it is her land and her fence. She has told the neighbor to stop so he has to stop.

From your diagram he can jump his own fence onto the footpath.

I will never understand the entitlement of people.

Alleycat1 · 23/11/2021 08:57

Unless I have missed it nobody has commented on the insurance side of it. If C.F. Neighbour's son injured himself climbing the fence or crossing the garden then O P would probably be sued. CFNS would be trespassing but OP would still be liable because, as we all know, the law is an ass. So, OP must put a stop to it somehow.
Also, CFNS will eventually wear a path across the garden ruining the lawn, also set a precedent for other CFs to use the route none of whom would pay for repairs should the fence break.
SuggestOp applies to the court for an injunction.

Theteapotsbrokenspout · 23/11/2021 09:08

To make a flower bed you don't even need to dig it over, just use the no-dig method. Cover the area with a thick layer of cardboard, then a thick layer of (wet squelchy ) manure. Worms will do the work and next summer you will have a lovely bed to plant in.

londonrach · 23/11/2021 09:20

Looking at the diagram next door needs a door in their fence. Raise the fence higher. Next door is CF

Billybagpuss · 23/11/2021 09:33

Is there a way you can prevent access to your back garden completely gate across the drive etc?

LindaEllen · 23/11/2021 09:44

@Cattenberg

I was on your side until I read that it takes the neighbour an extra five minutes to walk round. That adds up to a lot of wasted time. I’m not surprised he jumps the fence when he thinks you’re not looking.
Well I could get to the Co-Op quicker if I jumped over into the garden behind me and then through their side alley as it's on that road, rather than having to walk through the estate, but I don't do that..
faw2009 · 23/11/2021 10:00

I would smear something really greasy and gross to touch on top of the fence. Oil used on bike chains, peanut butter, something that looks like poo.

Loudestcat14 · 23/11/2021 10:10

Does he just come from the footpath over your fence to go home, OP, or is he leaving his house and taking the short-cut when he goes out as well? The reason I ask is earlier up the thread you said you didn't want visible anti-vandal/climb paint signs on the fence that you can see from your house – if he's just coming over it from the footpath, stick them on the side that faces out. You've done your legal obligation then.

whitehorsesdonotlie · 23/11/2021 10:17

What a CF!! Amazing.

Could you climb his back fence and wander about in his back garden, see how he likes it?

Or do you have a gate that you could install over your front drive so he can't get into your garden?

Peacocking · 23/11/2021 10:22

Cheap, easy and no fuss solution...cut some blackberry canes, tack the blackberry canes along the top of the fence. Nearly invisible, hurt very much and will rot away and fall off in time, by which time he will have learnt not to climb. Much less harmful than carpet track and free, and really not obvious. It could also be dismissed as a cat deterrent if it's ever raised.

coconuthead · 23/11/2021 10:28

We had almost this exact same scenario being the house at the end of the cul de sac and we got a ring camera with a loud alarm that we could set off if we saw him doing it. We also put pots all along the wall to make it harder for him and got a really, really bright security light with sensor. So far it has worked.