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.

I agree with PPs that ‘the greenest car is one you already own’. And I understand the emotional appeal of vintage autos.

The heart of the matter is your emotional attachment to this car. At a minimum you could cover it. Is there an option to bring it onto your property or store it securely nearby?

Because no one is clearly right or wrong here. There may not be an option to play at the school, because of insurance (even if they don’t know this). You have the right to park where you do, and the children have an equal right to play in the street. If your car is damaged, it won’t be unlawful unless the cameras show malicious intent. What if the family claim they can’t afford repairs? I am not suggesting you are wrong, OP, and on the original issue I am sympathetic. But I think you should try protecting your car rather than looking for a fight.

I second that.

But a stationary car is not traffic.

I keep saying this but I feel like I need to say it again. It's a public space. If you choose to store your valuable asset in a public space, you run the risks of it being damaged. It's frustrating and I feel for the OP, but it's the risk she's chosen to take.

I

Give

Up

Is it okay if they kick the football at me if I am walking down the street as I am in a public place?

You really are missing the point or the OP's plight, aren't you? It doesn't matter that it's a public place, the parents are being irresponsible in letting the footballing go on, in a street, that includes a street with other people's property, likely to get damaged. Its lazy parenting and the onus is NOT on the OP, to "take a chance", it's on the parents to parent their kids.

You’re really clutching at straws with this argument.

You genuinely think that children playing ball games are as equally entitled to street space as parked cars?

Is it okay if they kick the football at me if I am walking down the street as I am in a public place?

Or kick it at someone's front door or the front of their house if it faces directly on to the street?

Can you let them know you have cctv and they will be sued for any damages?

I don’t see a way to solve it without being an arse. Take photos (when the parents are outside and can see you do it) of their car number plates.

Of course not. But it can happen by accident.

No I understand that. But OP can't control what other people do in a public space where she is storing her car. That is a risk you take. Cars parked on streets can get damaged by animals, other cars, bikes, pushchairs, wheelchairs, balls, bins etc. It's part of the risk you take when parking there.

Not at all. You can't control how other people use a public space. If you chose to park there you take the risk that your car could be damaged.

Some of these comments are madness, no, another person's child enjoyment of play doesn't allow them to cause damage to other peoples property regardless of where that property is and as for the comment criticising classic cars, beyond ridiculous.

Hibiscrubs, the kids rights trump the lump of inert metals right, in my book. This car culture is absolute madness

Poetry and wine, how about the greenest car is no car

Oh Get a Life

Absolutely ridiculous and completely entitled. Also doesn't reflect the law

Stop derailing. Start your own thread if you want to pursue an agenda.

Ilovesooty, this thread about cars, no?

Trinity65, funny, that was my first thought on the original complaint

It's about respect for other people's property. You are persistently derailing.

It sounds like an accident to me to be honest. I'd leave it for now. I doubt the police would be interested that some hung children have hit your car with a ball twice while playing out, with no damage left behind. Balls bounce, accidents happen, and they sound like little kids just playing with a ball not maliciously slamming it into your car on purpose. If it keeps happening and damages your car then speak with their parents again. I doubt the police would be interested even then though.
It's also really normal in many parts of the country for kids to play out in the street they live on, it's much safer to be in view of their own home, rather that walking ten minutes to the playing fields where they can't be seen. You're view on this is a bit odd.

Maybe look into storing your classic car off road. Hitting a ball off it is the least of your worries if, as you've said a few times, someone is ragging it down the street fast enough to run kids over. The potential to hit your car is increased no?

It’s about damage to property, not ownership.

still, good to see another thread demonstrating to MNet the absolute, overdue need for ignore buttons on this site.

Isn't scrolling on by the same as ignoring? why get so upset with a differeing opinion. I think life is too short to get upset by a football hitting a car, which is a relevant contribution to this discussion.