Neighbours young kids playing football in front of house.

[jimjam2313w]

The kids are young. Like 8 years or less. They aren't really playing football, just bouncing the ball around. I heard them screaming and shouting and looked at CCTV to see the ball bouncing off our two cars. One is my classic and fragile 1977 classic.

I go out to tell the kids not to bounce the balls off the cars and (to my almost surprise) I find that neighbour mum and visiting mum are sitting there watching this. I explain that I'm concerned about my old car being damaged because it is fragile. Visiting mum reassures me that the children are being watched and that "we don't want any damage to happen either".

Anyway, I keep the cctv on as we are watching our movie and the ball once again hits out car. I go outside and both parents are gone. So I tell the children they should not be hitting my car with the ball.

What more do I do? Sometimes the responses here surprise me so I am reluctant to say that I would like to warn the neighbour one more time then speak to the community police officer. Neighbours new friends seem to smoke weed ALL THE TIME and community police officer will obviously smell this right away if they come along. I don't want that to happen. I just don't want to have football marks on my cars OR the mirrors broken off my classic.

Did that fill you with joy? Or annoy you?

I really don't believe it is part of parking on a public road. I believe it is lack of parental responsibility and lack of respect for property.

There is a school playground TEN METERS from where they are playing. Fenced and walled and safe from cars. It even has a mini football pitch marked in paint.

I agree. However, that doesn’t mean kids can run riot with no regard for other peoples property

they’re one of those posters. Best left to it 😂

Margo, im hardly missing the point, it's this ridiculous revering of and addiction to cars that has fucked up our public spaces and climate

That's what back gardens and parks are for. My street does not have parking. We ALL park our cars on road. What an entitled attitude.

Moody, not everyone owns a car or a back garden for that matter

It's no more entitled to want to play in the street than it is to want to park in it. It's a public space. Cars don't have more right to be there than children.

Not every house has a garden, not every house has parking. The space is for everyone to use.

Are they allowed to use the school playground?

@Sigmama if it was some other belonging of the OP that was being damaged by the children playing in the street would that be okay? Does their playing trump everything? What if they are playing in clothes that have been made in a sweat shop and flown hundreds of air miles to get here, same about the football? Any objections to that? Or is it just the car you have a problem with?

You don't let children or anyone damage someone else's property as part of a bloody game
Jesus.....

OP, I can understand that it's frustrating, but I very much doubt the kids are purposely aiming for your car. Their parents are right, no one wants your car to get damaged. They don't want to have to pay to repair it.
Unfortunately this is the risk you take when parking your car in a public space. You own something you cant securely store.

The main purpose of a street surely is for traffic not playing.

Toomuch, it depends what street you live on

'Prick'

Lol what does that even mean ?
Streets are for transportation they are not designed as playgrounds

I fully agree with you. I accidentally damaged a car recently, it had parked so far onto the pavement that as I wiggled past it I stumbled over a doorstep and fell against the car holding my son's scooter! This bit of road is on the way to a school, with bits of the pavement constantly blocked for double buggies, SN buggies, wheelchairs etc.

In fairness, they also aren't for storing cars.

Are they?

Most schools are locked up when not in use.

This is what it boils down to. By all means have a vent about it on here OP, but ultimately it doesn't matter whether anyone thinks anyone is taking the piss or not.

You own a fragile vehicle that you want to store in a public space, so it would be wise to get a cover to best protect it. Because even if you did manage to resolve this specific issue, it being a public space means there's always the possibility of it happening again.

That's why I asked. OP keeps saying the kids should go play there but I'd be amazed if they are actually allowed to.

Streets will usually have markings or signs denoting whether parking is allowed on them or not

No, they are for parking cars quite legally , definitely not designed for ball games though

Just because parking isn't prohibited doesn't mean the space is for parking. If it was it would have marked bays.

Derailing.