I am dreading summer with my neighbours.

[Mammpy]

Firstly. I am a mum of four. I KNOW kid noise. I am used to normal kid/family noise.

My youngest is 16 now though and I have done my time wishing I have earplugs.

I am in terraced housing. The house directly behind me has about 5 children living there and more visiting regularly.

They are so loud, as are the parents.

They regularly hang out of the top bedroom window, shouting and singing.

They shout my dogs all the time. Causing them to bark.

I have told them so many times not to wind my dogs up.

A while ago I went and knocked on their back gate and an elderly man came to the gate but he didn't speak English so my attempts at asking him to please tell the children to stop shouting my dogs was fruitless.

But then a few weeks ago I was in my kitchen, it was the week it was in the mid 30s and they werw doing it again. Shouting 'here doggies doggies doggies' and laughing hysterically when my dogs barked and reacted. I was trying to ignore it (because they just do not listen when I say something) but I heard something bang against my kitchen window.

I thought they were throwing stones (they did this once before but a long while ago) so I went outside and they all ran inside laughing.

They had thrown a huge chunk of chocolate into my garden, the type with raisins and nuts in.

My dog got to it nefore me but she dropped it at my command and I saw what it was.

I don't know if it was thrown intentionally to hurt my dogs. I don't know if they knew chocolate and raisins are poisonous to dogs but even if they didn't they shouldn't be throwing ANYTHING into peoples gardens!!

My smallest dog is a chihuahua and if she would have eaten that amount of chocolate without me knowing she could have died!

I went round and again the elderly man answered me but an older child was there and translated. I did shout a bit but I was so mad.

I'm now trying to sit in my garden and relax and they are all shouting so much.

I don't understand why they have to be so loud. They are all together in the same house/garden so why do they need to raise their voices so much.

I sound miserable but it's really getting me down, during school its fine but holidays are awful.

Also have a problem with them dumping rubbish in the communal alley, we have a shared alleyway between our gardens and just the other day someone was sat in the garden and changed a shitty nappy and just threw it over the wall into the alley!!

I went and got a glove. Picked it up and threw it back over the wall.

About 4 months ago a whole suitcase full of dirty nappies was abandoned at the end of our road. I don't know it was them but they do regularly try and throw nappies into the alley.

I don't even know if they own or rent or if its social housing to try and complain but I suspect it would hust be classed as normal domestic noise as its not music or anything.

But the rubbish dumping is a different issue. Have even considered installing cameras to catch them doing it.

I don't even know why I am typing this out. Just to get it off my chest I think :(

You are not being unreasonable, you can complain to the council about the rubbish and nappies. Also they are harassing you by annoying the dogs and trowing things in your garden, yes children make noise but when it becomes too loud constantly complain to the council. And before anyone jumps on my i have 5 children and know how to teach them to be considerate

I know you really shouldn’t have to but it doesn’t like things will change any time soon. Can you move house at all? They sound like a nightmare

complain to the housing.

No. We don't own. We rent from HA and we were very lucky to get this house. We will only be able to leave it in many years when we eventually need to downsize.

Phone the police and or the housing. This is beyond nuisance. It’s a malicious attack on your pets, coupled with a biohazard. They need telling.

You should keep a diary and photos/videos of each incident. This will be a slow moving process.

For your own sanity, if you can move, do.

Can you erect a 6 foot fence and add some trellis to top? Then grow some fast growing climbing plants ( Montana clematis) to screen. Small trees are excellent but take time to grow. Perhaps plant them at same time . The climbers should mask off about 10 feet. Lilac trees are great too. Research fast growing trees and bushes that grow to about 20 feet. This will absorb noise also. Complain to council about nappies and take photographs for evidence. Sorry you are going through this.

I feel your pain, and before anyone says anything I have twins one of them has an autistic spectrum disorder. My 2 are now grown up and I understand normal household noise. But the kids next door to me and at the bottom of my garden are on a whole other level. They literally scream like they've had a limb removed and they fallout all the time, they literally cannot play together for longer than a minute before it's all kicking off. I hear the mum next door trying to calmly negotiate with them, but this does nothing and the children just argue and scream at the mum. I dread the weekends and school holidays. The dad just sits there vaping with his can of fosters, doing nothing! You're not alone. I remember someone saying something along the lines of...."everyone is so obsessed with having a good time, they fail to stop and see how their behaviour affects others." The world has become a selfish place and little thought is given to how people's behaviour affects others.

Can you set up a camera over your garden to show if things are thrown into it? This may help with evidence. It would also be advisable to contact the police on the non-emergency number and report an animal welfare crime and the RSPCA. The Animal Welfare Act, Section 7 (2006) makes it an offence to deliberately poison an animal (including pets). I would also contact your local councillor to make them aware of the anti-social behaviour including the incidents with the dogs and ask for advice.

Yes, because it is so cheap and easy to move house these days,🙄
I know you are trying to be helpful but in the real world not many people can pull dgoodness knows how many grand out to finance a move.
My last one was nearly £20k with legal and all the related costs.
OP needs to contact the council first and foremost, enviromental health, noise and possibly their local pcso for advice with regards to any harrassment that might arise.

They tried to kill your dog. That's worth reporting to the police.

Weigela seems to grow mile a minute. Ours are manic growers and need regular pruning. They produce pink or red blossoms and are really pretty. They are robust tough plants and give dense coverage.

The chocolate incident sure sounds deliberate to me. Children don't throw away chocolate like that, they eat it
Wouldn't be surprised if an adult told them to do it after your 1st visit

Contact your local council / housing association. Log everything and if possible have video evidence.
I live in a terraced house so I can empathise with noisy neighbours in the summer.
Disgraceful they threw chocolate over to your dogs. You were a lot nicer about it than I'd have been.
Really hope you can get some peace soon. Best of luck.

The chocolate thing is just plain weird as there are far easier ways to make a dog sick.

I'd make sure you have a camera up at least OP.

And obviously report to HA, council and 101.

I’m still stuck at suitcase full of nappies…

Put up trellis or something to extend the height of the fence.

Sat up a camera and try and catch them dumping stuff and report it. The suitcase full of nappies and just casually throwing them in the alley is grim and just shows their disregard to other people and their environment.

Keep being firm when they’re antagonising your dogs and keep a log of anti social behaviour with photos or written notes with times and dates so if you do end up going to the police or council you have something to back it up.

Go and knock on the door and tell the child to translate to the man that you will be phoning the police for animal cruelty

We have a 6 foot brick wall! They hang out of the bedroom windows (2nd and 3rd floor) to antagonist the dogs. A few times they did it behind my gate but I did sternly tell them to go away.

I think they are with the elderly grandparents alot? The women never talk to me. They go inside and the Grandad tries to, but he really speaks minimal English. (And i also think the kids swear so much because of this! The little boy says Fucking constantly!!)

The chocolate thing was a while ago and I thought it was innocent but thinking about it more. Why would children throw perfectly good chocolate away?

I'm going to keep a diary of whats going on and look into getting a cctv camera on my shed with sound.