Children playing in the garden

I’d have this handy, on my phone, ready to show the police if they pop round again.

OP you and your boys sound caring and considerate. Stop supporting your neighbours, they sound like nasty tossers.

I'd park that behaviour straight away. He has no business shouting, swearing and threatening violence to kids. I would be very clear that it won't be tolerated. If the have a problem they can discuss it with you. They can also do it polite manner and how the expect to be addressed.

If the police do come round is show them the video footage.

Can't believe some replies here - how dare a teenager play ball in their garden?? FFS better they find the local park where they can go smoking weed or join a knife carrying gang. Neighbours are being assholes. If they want silence they need to move to the country. 10pm garden curfew is v reasonable, maybe 9.30 to be generous. My kids don't come in til 10 in summer, it's bright til 10.30 here.

I think basketball is more annoying (noise wise) than football - assuming no one is bouncing the football against the fence.

Could you maybe compromise with no basketball after e.g. 8:30 or something and switch to football til e.g. 9:30 and then sitting out til whenever they want really?

Honestly-OP, you don't sound like a good neighbour.

Ball games at 10PM on a regular basis? Fuck that. That kind of noise goes right through you and can really disturb and disrupt your peace. Especially when it's night and you're trying to unwind and all you can hear is a fucking ball banging about and no doubt the ensuing shouts/screams/cheers. I doubt they're silent as they're playing.

I don't expect pure silence out of my neighbours-I think we all have to tolerate each other but there's got to be something reasonable about it. Obviously-it's causing a disturbance to them if they're complaining about it.

Try and think about it objectively, OP. If you were your neighbour and had to listen to your kids, would you be happy about it?

As far as them shouting at your kids-that's not on. Any issues they have they should have took it up directly with you and not shouted at or berated your kids.

Nor should they have called the police. That was OTT. If I were you, I'd go over and be open to listening to them. Hear their concerns. If they've gone at 10:02PM they've obviously been chomping at the bit and been desperate to say something. So chances are it's been bothering them far longer than that.

I'd also advise them that you aren't happy about the way they spoke to your children or the fact that they contacted the police about a matter that could have been handled between you both. Don't roll over-but be open to listening to their concerns. Don't be the neighbour that just thinks their kids can do no wrong and as it's not 11PM it's all hunky dory. It's not.

What a sad post, nothing nicer than seeing siblings of any age hanging out together outside, playing sport etc rather than shut up in their rooms individually. OP, you and your children sound lovely and considerate and perfectly normal.

I just think they must be pretty stupid to act that way and then call the police!

I wouldn’t compromise. If he’d asked nicely I might, but given he essentially threatened your ds I’d prefer to play bagpipe music out there instead.

Someone who threatens a child with physical violence on camera is not a reasonable person.

This isn’t a case of neighbours at the end of their teather, the OP had reached an agreement that the children would come in after 10 PM, and they were two minutes late.

Let’s get some perspective here. The children are just being children. He on the other hand sounds like an abusive cunt.

It is an annoying noise but for goodness sake teenage boys could be doing much worse! I speak as mother of three grown up ones and basketball net attached to house for one of them when he was about 14. Your neighbours are totally out of order and I would reassure your boys that they are not in the wrong. One of my old neighbours shouted at one of my then 9 Yr old for riding his new bike on the pavement, he'd just got it and I'd told him to stay on the pavement for safety reasons........he never rode it again as she frightened him! The neighbours need to move to somewhere with no neighbours if they can't take normal family noise. I would be withdrawing any support from them after that💐

I think 10pm is too especially as it sounds very frequent (every night?). Your poor neighbours probably can't relax in their own home.

We have teen boys and 10pm is far too late for them to playing football and basketball. 9pm is my absolute limit, but I've usually had enough of my own making a noise by 8pm and tell them to stop.

Tbh 10pm at night hearing my neighbours regularly would piss me of.

I think it’s great that your kids are out doing sport rather than computer games etc. I also think up to 10pm is fine, unless the neighbours have a baby they are trying to get to sleep.

I think they’re as entitled to use their garden as anyone and generally I’d be telling the neighbours to jog on.

The only thing is maybe the “thud thud thud” of a basketball could drive you mad eventually, or kicking a ball against a wall, or anything like that. So I think I’d be putting time limits on that.

The police won’t do anything about a bit of noise but they might be interested in the neighbours screaming at them

I think a 9pm cut off for ball games is reasonable, but as far as them being in the garden, if they're sitting and chatting I don't see why they can't be out there until 11 like everyone else can.

I don’t think your unreasonable

If anything op you sound an extremely considerate neighbour. I think it’s them that are in the wrong. It is your garden and your boys should be allowed to enjoy it. They’re not playing music loud, smoking, swearing being horrid teens, they’re just trying to enjoy them selves and actually sound really respectful. But for your cf neighbours to be swearing and threatening them is not on!! Nail it now before their demands become more unreasonable. Yea a ball bouncing is a tad annoying but they could just ask for it to stop. No need for the aggression. Dont let them intimidate you with their unreasonable requests and tell them about the dog, recycling and rows you hear regularly. Sorry your boys are upset. Hope your neighbours sort themselves out.

These kids are probably 13-15 ish by the sounds of it. Of course it's not weird to play in the garden ffs. No one would say that 20 years ago. We've just become numb to the fact that teens spend hours alone on their phones in their bedrooms these days. Siblings playing sport together outside is 100 percent better than that.

After them shouting and swearing at your kids like that, I don’t think you should budge an inch. They sound vile and it sounds like they want to intimidate you if you let them. Back your kids up, don’t show them they can be pushed around by unpleasant people.

I often walk past a house at the other end of my road and a teenager is playing his drums in the garage with the door open. As I pass I often say a silent prayer of thanks that I don't live nextdoor. You have my sympathy.