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Original poster

can i put anit-vandal paint on MY fence?

29 replies

cantmummyhaveabreak · 13/03/2010 18:26

Neighbours DC's are S*s to say the least, this problem comes after an endless list since they moved in about 12mths ago.

Anyway they've been playing in their garden, fair enough you may say, but when they kick the ball over they do one of a coupel of things...

1- they will climb over and get it, in the process they've broken a rabbit hutch, a fence panel and have also put a crack in the DC's playhouse roof which they only got last summer, and have also broken the fence at the end of our garden... all in all caused at least £100 worth of damage.

2- ask to collect it themselves from our garden, we used to allow this but found they were stealing toys/ playing in our garden for 10mins or so- and very nearly broke the DC's swing last year (luckily DH managed to salvage it)

3- come and ask to retrieve it and i'll say i'll throw it over when i can- normally within the next couple of mins.

The last hour has really annoyed me as they've kept kicking it over, and climbing over the fence, i went out and asked them not to climb over as i'm sick of them breaking our things. They didn't listen... so i basically stood in the dining room watching them and caught them climbing over.

Eventually they came to knock and ask if they could get it, i said no, but i'll throw it back over. I was feeding the baby so it was about 2-3mins before i went to get it, by then they were climbing over the fence to get it, i went into the back garden only to find he ran down my garden, jumped the fence at the bottom which they have already broken anyway, ran through another garden before returning to theirs.

I'm so sick and tired i wanna use anti-vandal/anti-burglar paint on my side of the top of the fence to stop them, but not sure of the logistics....

OP posts:
heQet · 13/03/2010 18:30

is it your fence? can't see why not, I mean that's what that stuff is for, isn't it?

Any chance you could afford to replace the fence with a 6ft high one?

Original poster
cantmummyhaveabreak · 13/03/2010 18:32

the fence is 6ft high!!

OP posts:
Original poster
cantmummyhaveabreak · 13/03/2010 18:34

Just spoken to DH, he's going to ask our friend who's a police officer if we're allowed as if they damage their clothes we dont wanna have to replace them...

The fence is ours, on our boundary and all brand new at a costly sum last spring!! They have already broken one of the fence panels too so i'm very !!

OP posts:
tutu100 · 13/03/2010 18:38

Blimey I think you have been very tolerant, if this was my neighbours kids I'd be asking them to pay for the damage they have caused.

I'm sure if the fencce is yours you can paint it with whatever you want on your side of the fence.

heQet · 13/03/2010 18:38

bloody hell, they are scaling a 6ft fence?

I would imagine that as long as you have warnings in sight, then it's their own fault!

chegirlWILLbeserene · 13/03/2010 18:39

I had a few neigbours getting very irate and phoning the council because my other neighbours had the cheek to add barbed wire to their access gate.

Apparently 'my KiKi likes to climb on that gate, it aint right'. Never mind KiKi is 3 years old and lives right across the other side of the road and the access gate is at the side of the house set back from the front garden.

They were up in arms about it! FFS. They were quite content to sit back and gossip about some other neighbours who were leaving their kids out in all weathers without shelter for hours on end but went running to the council about some barbed wire on a gate.

Original poster
cantmummyhaveabreak · 13/03/2010 18:42

Heqet- yep- they have a 'patio' area and they use the fence/wall on their side to jump the fence on their side (bearing in mind their garden is also about 3ft higher than mine so the drop is 8-9ft!!) then have been using said rabbit hutch and now playhouse to climb back over!!

OP posts:
IlanaK · 13/03/2010 18:45

Surely they are trespassing? How old are they? If a word with the parents doesn't stop it, I would be inclined to go to the police.

Original poster
cantmummyhaveabreak · 13/03/2010 18:47

they are aged 10 - 16... maybe a little older. Their friends also think nothing of joining in...

OP posts:
shockers · 13/03/2010 18:54

If you paint it with anti vandal paint then legally you have to put a notice up to warn them. We had the same trouble with the roof of our beach hut and that's what the police told us.

Earthstar · 13/03/2010 18:59

How about planting something thorny, would that work?

Ripeberry · 13/03/2010 19:01

You are very tolerant. If they did it too many times to me I would stick a knife in the ball and send it back to them smiling sweetly.
If the parents complain, then give them a bill for all the damage they have been doing.
My parents had neighbours like this and they would just come into the garden and do what they liked (my parents are retired).
I was there one afternoon when they were doing it and I just stormed out and asked them what they thought they were doing?
They soon scarpered back over, but they had broken the fence right down.

MudandRoses · 13/03/2010 22:06

Blimey, they sound awful! I like Ripeberry's idea but you don't want to start a war with the Neighbours From Hell. I would definitely go and explain the situation (and all the damage) to the parents. If they're not amenable, I guess I would tell them you're prepared to call the police - they're trespassing, harrassing you, and damaging property. It's anti-social behaviour, at the very least.

roulade · 13/03/2010 22:26

Very tall trellis? Possibly with spikey tops. Or is it possible to move the rabbit hutch and playhouse?

Tortoise · 13/03/2010 22:30

would something like this deter them? No idea what it feels like to humans though TBH.

Milliways · 13/03/2010 22:46

We have carpet gripper rods tacked to the inside of our back fence (as recommended by the police following kids climbing in)

It is on the inside - not the top, so they have to put their hands over the top (to climb) to feel it.

Best deterrent though is our dog, who eats any footballs that land in the garden

Milliways · 13/03/2010 22:50

Could you just add a trellis to the fence (to grow something up!) as that adds height, needs no planning and would deter climbing as very likely to break?

j0807bump · 13/03/2010 23:03

little buggers!

i would agree about the paint, thorns, dogs but they maybe an inconvienience to your own dcs

if it was a wall rather than a fence i'd say put cut glass ontop. i think it's illegal and not good for cats but in your position i'd be really annoyed.

whatever happened to politely knocking and asking for their ball back?

abbierhodes · 14/03/2010 00:28

Like the idea of the carpet gripper things, but I bet you'd still be in trouble if they got hurt.

Have you spoken to the parents? What have they said?

Original poster
cantmummyhaveabreak · 14/03/2010 08:51

We haven't spoken to the mum- she's a very scary lady- and knows all the scary parents from DC's school too... we are a tad worried that if we called the police then we'd not only have the neighbours being arsey when we have to pass but maybe the rough parents at school to deal with too. Neither DH or I really feel the mum is approachable...

Our friend who's a PO said we should call our local neighbourhood policing team. They will come and talk to us and then will talk to them.

We've looked into anti-burglar paint online and all we've found is that on a bussiness premesis it would have to sign it, but nothing about private.

I like the idea of carpet grippers... that might stop them.

OP posts:
matumble · 14/03/2010 09:14

to be honest i would suggest speaking to her before going to the neighbourhood police, if she is likely to react badly she will react far worse to a police visit with no warning i would imagine.

we have been in a situation a bit like this, neighbours kids kept throwing things into our garden, just random bits of stuff, not to get them or anything and then started with mud balls at our windows. really expected their mum to react badly but went to speak to her anyway and she was very angry, but not at us, she was furious with her kids. sometimes people surprise you

Good luck
Sue

borderslass · 14/03/2010 09:56

betterware to spikes that you can put along the top of a fence.

borderslass · 14/03/2010 09:59

here

BetsyBoop · 14/03/2010 11:01

just make sure you don't fall foul of the occupiers liability law - you should avoid doing anything that could injure people, yes even trespassers...

I would be asking the kids parents to pay for the damage they have already caused...

PJTink · 18/07/2010 20:44

Having the same problem with my neighbour, tonight I was eating my dinner when they knocked the door for the ball, informed them I would throw it back in a minute, then the parents lifted their child into my garden to get it, ended in a terrible row. Called the police and was told its civil tresspassing and would have to take them to court! The other thing they do is sit on the 6ft fence and stare into my house for half an hour at a time, I have no privacy.... really upsetting me but what can I do?

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