AIBU to feel uneasy that neighbours went into my garden?

[Magpiesinthegarden]

My next door neighbours have had rats in their garden and informed me to not put any rubbish bags out my garden and keep the garden clear. I purchased a wheelie bin for the black bags (only the usual amount) and all recycling was collected apart from 2 sealed bags of cardboard and a few garden bags with grass in. I’ve been unwell and haven’t managed to move them. I’ve just been into the garden and the bags were gone and were put into my wheelie bin (outside my house) and the garden bags were tied up.

AIBU to feel a bit weird that they’ve been in my garden?

So completely accessible to anyone with oppositely thumbs, then?!

If you don’t want people in your garden, secure it. I never understand people on here moaning that family or neighbours have let themselves into their house or garden-properly lock them and then they can’t! My door locks when you close it so you can’t get in with a key. My side gates are properly secured.

Rats are no joke. We’ve got neighbours who insist on putting out bird food which attracts them. They got into an outside storage container over winter and by the time I noticed it was awful. You’ve got to be so vigilant as they keep coming back. Please don’t be that neighbour.

This!

So it sounds like you used to keep your rubbish in bags in your garden, not in a plastic bin, which was encouraging rats? You have now bought a bin but have still put open black bags in your garden?

Whether it’s recycling or garden waste, it will still attract rats.

just dispose of your rubbish correctly and the rats will leave and the neighbours won’t have to do it for you.

Whilst they had good intensions, I agree to reach over and unlock your gate to enter probably isn't acceptable. I also think you now know how easy it is to get in your garden so maybe a padlock on your gate is also in order. It could so easily have been a burglary.

It’s fairly obvious what the problem is given you had to be told to put your rubbish in a bin and you’ve still got numerous bags hanging around in the garden. And you don’t answer your door.

We and two neighbours battled rats that were crossing our gardens for two years. Multiple costly pest control interventions. It wasn’t sorted until the environmental health people and local council dealt with the person whose garden was the source of the problem. No more rats.

I'd rather have a helpful neighbour in my garden than a bunch of rats. And a locked gate doesnt keep rats out.

I’d be pissed off if I were them they sorted the eat problem and your encouraging them by leaving rubbish out
you’ll be more pissed off when there’s rats in your house
and I can totally see why they did it

mind you a lot of this does stem from the MN phenomenon of not answering your door

Same.

They did you a favour - be thankful

sounds like they even knocked on the door and reasonably concluded you probably wouldn’t mind you getting rid of rubbish

They were out of order entering your garden and sorting your cardboard and grass clippings - this is recycling waste that belongs in a different bin? Don’t you have recycling bins for this stuff OP, what do you usually do with it?

They’re being over zealous and panicky. If it was food waste in OPs garden, I could see the issue. But they’re unreasonable to get uptight about cardboard and grass clippings. Perhaps gently explain that there are hundreds of millions of rats in the uk and what attracts them / allows them to multiply so rapidly is food waste, not cardboard.

A note through your letter box…. Give over 🙄

You know what no-one wants? Rats 🐀🐀🐀

They shouldn't be entering your property without permission. That is totally overstepping what a friendly neighbour would do. It would have been better to talk to you first.

In the meantime, secure your fence and try to put your rubbish in bins straight away. Everybody benefits from less rats around!

Kind neighbours. Thank them.

But they’re unreasonable to get uptight about cardboard and grass clippings

You have to clear everything if you’re trying to eradicate a rat problem. A load of bags of cardboard and garden waste needs clearing.

That is totally overstepping what a friendly neighbour would do

It is what someone at the end of their tether trying to sort out a rat problem and getting limited cooperation from their neighbour might do though.

I purchased a wheelie bin for the black bags (only the usual amount) and all recycling was collected apart from 2 sealed bags of cardboard and a few garden bags with grass in.

Does your council not provide wheelie bins for all your waste @Magpiesinthegarden ?

Our council provides a grey bin for household/landfill waste; a green bin for garden waste; a brown bin for glass, tins and hard plastics and a blue bin for paper and cardboard. We don't pay extra for any of these as they are covered by council tax.

Sounds like a bit of an overreach but you didn’t follow the clear instructions and then ignored them when they tried most likely a few times to knock on your door to ask you to do it.
unless you are extremely poorly (not just feeling rough) when you know what the issue is and have deliberately gone against what they asked re the sacks, I guess they were a bit stuck for options. But you expected them to go home and get a piece of paper and write a note when they probably knew you were in and refusing to answer.
It’s a tricky one but you are both unreasonable I think.

Yes because putting a bin on a driveway is exactly like going into their back garden.

🙄🙄

sorry, my supply of medals for today haven't arrived yet. I do have a spare 🍪 though.

If they have rats so have you. They are clearly trying to stop the issue. Yes I would rather they would have spoken to me first but it sounds like they were trying to help.

I’d keep that 🍪 for yourself if I were you 🙈

But it's HER garden, just because they ask doesn't mean she has to do something.

if they asked her not to hang washing in her garden you think they have the right to enter her garden & remove it??

Didn't follow clear instructions?

They're neighbours, not her Boss.

Exactly… who keeps rubbish bags pilling up in their garden ?! 😳 that’s just disgusting. And in the hot weather they go into their garden and sit surrounded by bin bags ?! The smell 🤢

They asked you to put your rubbish in bins then didn’t, then didn’t bother answering the door!!!!