Balls in garden

[SparklingPinot]

Another balls in garden thread It’s a long-ish one, apologies.

DH & I have lived in our house, happily, for 10 x years. For the past 5 of those years we have had to deal with almost constant balls being kicked over into our garden from the house behind, and as their DC get older these are being kicked into our garden with increasing force (on an average summers day a min 10 x balls will come over which I’ll go out and throw back over…another 10 or so will come over, so on and so forth).

If we do not throw them over they will come into our garden and take them, which we have caught them doing and asked them not to, but suspect they still do on occasion.

It has got a bit ridiculous at times and we have suggested they consider a net to stop the issue but they have said they got a quote and it’s far too expensive.

DH has always been extremely chilled, says it’s kids playing & takes a lot to bother him. Until now…

Fast forward to now & we have a toddler, & we have just completed an extension, & are finalising our garden. Funnily enough, whilst the works were being done, no balls have been coming into our garden, but as the builders and heavy machinery in our back garden has left, so begins the balls once again.
We will shortly have a useable garden (which we haven’t had for some time due to works) and as the weather gets nicer I am genuinely concerned for the safety of my DC in the garden with the strength at which the balls are being kicked in once again (it’s not a huge garden - think standard semi, and we’ve extended so the gardens even smaller).

I am now wondering where to go from here, as the weather gets better the balls are only going to get worse. I’m mindful I don’t want to start any neighbour disputes but I’m wondering if anyone knows what our legal rights are (I know we always have to return the ball 🙄) & can advise really where to go from here…

I should add that on weekends balls are being kicked over (and against the fence) often until 21h/22h , meaning that I’m forced to have my toddler childs bedroom in our front, tiny, box room, rather than the much larger back bedroom (this wasn’t an issue as a baby but as DC has started to grow & get more stuff I could do with putting them in the larger bedroom but
am 100% certain that the shrieks and repeated bangs of balls being kicked against walls & fences would keep them awake).

AIBU to think that neighbour should do something to prevent the onslaught of balls & allow us to enjoy our garden with our new(ish) DC in relative peace and

Take them and get rid. They will take more care going forward.

I'm dealing with something very similar, we can end up with 10 balls in the garden and they have damaged my plants. Parents won't take responsibility and have got cross with me rather than the kids. The kids then climb up and shout at me to return the balls like it's my fault.
I've ended up collecting them and waiting for them to come round to ask for them back. They rarely do.

As others have said, collect them and wait to see if they come for them. If/when they do then point out to the parents the toddler will be in the garden more and it's a hazard so they need to sort something. If they don't listen, don't return balls, "oh well they weren't in my garden, I don't know where they are..." The parents will soon get sick of having to buy new ones.

We grew really prickly hedging roses up against the fence to deter nuisance (vandalising & thieving) kids from next door and we had the bonus view of lovely, hardy flowers. I was honestly fantasizing about feeding the little darlings to the plant from the Little Shop of Horrors but alas, that was just a dream. We also resorted to collecting shit thrown into our garden until the parents came to collect it because they were lazy bastards and inconveniencing them was a huge drama and then they eventually stopped told their kids to stop hurling crap over our fence.