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?

They were unreasonable going into your garden but you have been unreasonable with your rubbish and I think given rats are a health hazard that they were trying to eradicate on balance you are more unreasonable than they are.

Look at Gatemate lock for your gate and sort your rubbish.

They absolutely shouldn’t have come into your garden without permission!
I think my neighbour has rats underneath her decking because it was coming in to our garden and eating bird seed off the grass. We’ve had to stop feeding the birds for a bit but I wouldn’t dream of going into her garden to lob some rubbish sacks into her wheelie bin without getting her permission first! I’m baffled by some of the replies on here.

Wow, I’m surprised so many posters think this was acceptable.

Because
(a) it hasn't happened to them, and
(b) it is sooooooo much easier to give permission on behalf of people without their involvement.

Especially if you are a woman.

Maybe you’re baffled because you’ve never had to deal with a persistent and expensive rat problem arising from the slovenly, inconsiderate and intransigent behaviour of a neighbour. It really isn’t baffling that someone dealing with that would take matters into their own hands when she won’t even answer the door, even if you think they overstepped. As for the OP, she can lock her gate and either sort her rubbish out or face environmental health when they turn up to enforce action.

I can't believe so many people would be fine with their neighbours entering your back gardens through a locked gate.

You should have made it clear that they entered your back garden in the OP, as I assumed it was your front garden, which would have been fine in my books. Back garden? No way.

My neighbours do this for me, and I do it for them. Neither of us ever brought it up in conversation, so permission was never sought.

They still had no right to enter her garden without her permission. Rats or no rats. They should have contacted environmental health or similar if they think the OP is being slovenly.
As I said, my neighbour has rats underneath her decking. Her garden is a bit of a tip. I wouldn’t dream of going in there and chucking stuff away. I’d contact the relevant authorities.

It's very easy to be liberal with other peoples property.

I don't think your neighbours should have gone into your garden without asking.

I also strongly suspect they might be at the end of their tether from you having bags of rubbish sitting in your garden, if up until now you haven't owned a wheelie bin and there are still bags of garden waste and recycling sitting around. And they obviously tried to ask you more than once but you didn't answer your door.

My own next door neighbours often have bags of rubbish sitting on their drive and it's revolting. It definitely encourages rats (we've seen them) and foxes, cats and birds tear open the bags and rubbish gets all over the street. Honestly, while I wouldn't go into someone's garden, I can totally see why your neighbours did what they did.

So these were green recycling bags so cardboard etc. But I know rats can get into them too to chew on the cardboard etc! 🐀

Does your council not supply wheelie bins? Our refuse collectors will only collect rubbish/recycling if they are in the correct wheelie bin.

It’s just recycling bags here.

As you weeent answering the door and recycling bags are a huge huge risk for rats, they live in them as warm and dry, they clearly tried to help you,

I understand your discomfort with this, but also think if I had rats in my garden I'd do whatever it took to sort it! So perhaps some sympathy with them, although they did cross a line.

Personally I would let this one go but raise it with them if they come into your garden another time.

Priority should be to make sure you secure your gate with some better locks. Your neighbours have demonstrated how easy it was to get into your back garden. This means burglars could do this as well.

Security is the most important lesson to learn here. This has made you uncomfortable, imagine how much worse you would feel if you were burgled.

They need to hire some ratter dogs.

It was 3 bags, 2 with cardboard and one very small bag with recycling (tins) Not a mountain of black bags or a health hazard but I also understand that rats can go for cardboard and they did need to be moved! 🐀

They possibly didn’t know what’s in them, hut yes rats will live in that, as you didn’t answer they possibly thought you were out, or maybe too unwell to move the bags, if they didn’t do anything other than enter and sort the problem for you both, as it will impact them if rats have a place to live on your property, then I’m failing to see the issue. They asked you and they knocked.

Thanks everyone! I’ll definitely be looking into getting a better lock on my back gate as my gardener has let himself in randomly and knocked on my patio doors (into my living room) Luckily I wasn’t sitting there naked! 🤣

Our council doesn’t supply wheelie bins unfortunately, buying one bin is at least £50 and I’ll need a good few! Not going to leave anything lying around from now on though. 🐀

Yes, she didn’t follow clear instructions given for everyone’s welfare. Rats are the absolute pits.

It's not their place to 'give instructions' . It's not their garden, it's the OP!s. They can suggest or ask, but she doesn't have to obey instructions. If they think it's an issue tgey can contact Environmental Health.

They have no right to enter her back garden and do as they please.

@JuneAlready you may as well scream into the void than get your local council to do anything about anything. None of them have any money and they don’t take action unless there’s money in it for them.
I said was upthread both OP and the neighbours were unreasonable, them for entering her garden, and her for not bothering to support their efforts to eradicate the rats.

I'd be really annoyed if I'd spent money on trying eradicate rats and the neighbour was allowing rubbish (cover, nesting material) to build up outside that would just shift the problem one house along.

They tried to speak to you, you ignored them, they resolved the problem. Speak to your neighbours in future rather than ignoring the door.

Environmental Health would come out here 💁🏻‍♀️

but it's irrelevant to your statement that she didn't obey the neighbours instructions. She doesn't have to, they have no authority & no right to enter her back garden to do anything.

none.