Friendly neighbour or crossing the line?

[Starshine17]

My OH and myself are both office based on Mondays, we have 2 older DC, and feel comfortable enough leaving them alone for the morning in the holidays while we’re working, and they’re happy enough being at home with each other for a few hours.

Today, my neighbour decided to bring the bins in, not in front of the gate as usual but all the way up the side and into the back garden (spotted on our cctv) AIBU to think this is totally unacceptable? - luckily the kids hadn’t surfaced from their rooms until after this, but when I arrived home later they had the doors open and the dog was wandering in and out. If they’d already had the doors open and were suddenly aware of a man in the garden they’d have been terrified!

? Not English and curious. Is this shared garden entrance

Would your children not recognise him? I’m not saying they perhaps wouldn’t jump if someone appeared, as would anyone, but if it’s a neighbour bringing bins in, it’s obvious who it is and what he’s doing?

Surely your children know the neighbour, if even just to recognise them, so wouldn't have been terrified?

How old are your children?

Why on earth would a neighbour bring in bins terrify what I assume are teens?

It’s a nice thing to do though?!

Why would they be terrified? It's an obvious neighbour bringing in the bins.

It sounds to me like you have a thoughtful neighbour. But if it bothers you having people come into your garden you could put a lock on your back gate.

If your children are going to be terrified by a neighbour bringing bins into the garden, then no they aren't confident enough to be left alone.

No its a private gate and private alleyway to our back garden. Neighbour has their own gate and access.

your kids being old enough to be left alone but potentially terrified if they saw the next door neighbour putting the bins back doesn't seem to tally

Exactly what I was going to say

Sorry just saw this as I wrote pretty much the same 😁

Ok maybe ‘terrified’ was a tad too strong - but it’s acceptable to be in your garden and someone just walk in unannounced?! We’re new to the road, so the neighbours are no more than strangers at this point.

So, do you mean your neighbour opened the gate to your own, pravte garden and put your bins behind them? Why would your 'older children' be terrified? Why didn't you/DH or your own children bring the bins in yourselves? Get a lock for your gate!

Put a lock on your gate. Problem solved for the future.

Perhaps he thought he was being helpful.

The neighbour opened the gate and wheeled the bin the length of my house down the alley and into the back garden. The bins are kept at the front of the house - outside of the gate.

If they are old enough to be left for the day, they are old enough to deal with a neighbour bringing the bins back in.
If you are that against it, put a bolt on the gate.

We do this for our neighbours and they do it for us.

it’s nice.

Just re-read the op, he usually brings the bins but only to the front of the gate.

So why today is he going through the gate, onto private property and taking the bins all the way round the back to the back garden? The kids could have been sunbathing. Pretty much everywhere is half term. He knows you are out. The dog could have bit him with him being in the back garden. And yes it would be disconcerting for children to find a man they may not recognise in their garden.

I would thank him for returning the bins but ask that he only ever puts them in front of the gate and does not come round the back again.

The only thing that would have even remotely bothered me about that situation would be if dog got out onto the road.

Other than that you're being a bit of a wet lettuce. Teens on school hols barely surface until mid day, and unless they'd be terrified a random man was nicking your bins. Then I doubt they'd give a toss or even think about it.

I put my neighbours' bins away in their back garden for them, as they are at work when the bin men come. I thought it was a neighbourly thing to do.
Perhaps he didn't realise your children were at home.

Lock the F ing gate if good, kind neighbours are not the type you want to encourage. You are new to the road, maybe that's what everyone does. Do not get all arsey straight away. Good neighbours are like gold dust, and it would IMV be a big mistake to get off on the wrong foot straight away about something very innocent to my eyes anyway.

As I said, lock the gate if hell is other people to you.

I bet its his way of telling you that bins belong in your back garden , like his ,and not in the front for all the world to see.