Children playing in the garden

your neighbours must have lied to get the police out - no way they’d come for a noise complaint like that. I think you need to find a way toward with the neighbours if you want to remain civil. Can the teenagers go to a park instead sometimes, whilst it’s light?

Are both your boys 13? Where do they sit when they are chatting into the night? Do they have friends who join them or is it just the brothers?

In all honesty regular long noisy ball games in the garden is anti social. It's a garden, not a sports facility.

From 13 on, people don't really play anymore, not in the way children do. Do they never have screen time or play video games? It's very unusual if the don't.

I think you've been more than accommodating and you need to stop.
The cut off for noise is 11pm, your DC stop at 10pm, you say that they're not playing ball at 10 but sat talking plus it's only 3 days a week, then your neighbour has no room for complaints.
You seem to have bent over backwards for your neighbours.
Stop.
Don't go round, wait for the police to come back, explain your situation and show them the CCTV of your neighbour threatening your children.
Don't offer to reduce the amount of time your DC can be in the garden and fgs don't cancel your BBQ.

10pm is way too late for ball games. I appreciate it’s not that often but that would literally drive me insane.

From 13 on, people don't really play anymore, not in the way children do. Do they never have screen time or play video games? It's very unusual if the don't.

This is really the most depressing post I've read on MN for a long time. A couple of kids having fun exercising outdoors, and the response is "Can't you get them on screens? It's the normal thing to do, after all?"

I'd write the neighbors a curt note explaining that 11pm is actually the legal cutoff, and that I'd appreciate their not making a fuss about these things, or I'll be having a word with The Powers That Be about their stupid dog.

To be fair I have neighbours who's kids are sometimes out on the garden making a racket until 10pm and I really find it quite annoying sometimes. Not sure where people are getting this concrete rule that you can make as much noise as you like until 11pm, what about the neighbours right to quiet enjoyment of their home? For the sake of being neighbourly if nothing else, I don't think it's very fair that the neighbours should have to listen to the racket in the garden until 10pm and I wouldn't like it myself. They do have a right to quiet enjoyment of their home too and this us obviously causing ill feeling in that respect.

Nail on head really. The noise of a football being constantly booted about and the accompanying shouting and noise really isn't very considerate to the neighbours at 10pm.

My sisters life is made a complete misery with the children next door playing basketball endlessly. The constant dull thudding of the ball is incredibly annoying and antisocial at the best of times let alone way into the evening!

No-one needs to be playing basketball or football in a garden at that time of night. Bit like no-one would think about mowing their lawn that late

Thumping a ball is so annoying I would say stop the sports by latest 8pm. Talking fine but at a sensible volume.

Our next door neighbours kids play 2/3 night a week in their garden, even in winter. They are football mad, and boot the ball as hard as they can against the adjoining fences past 10pm frequently.

Their aim isn't great which means the ball bangs against our house, windows or occasionally dog.
They scream, shout, all of it.
Drives most of the neighbours mad, few people have spoken to them to no avail.

If there is nothing missing from the story then you've already been more accommodating than most.

Consider getting a camera with a mic for the back garden the fence, if the neighbours are threatening again, you'll have it recorded

I think your neighbours are being totally unreasonable. They sound awful. Why shouldn't your children be allowed to enjoy their garden?

I get that ball games can be annoying and maybe they could finish those up earlier like you suggested but other than that I wouldn't be going to speak to them as if you have done something wrong. They are in the wrong for shouting at your children instead of speaking to you/them in a reasonable manner when you have already tried to compromise. Don't let them bully you. They let their dog out to bark at 6am - I would certainly be saying that to them. They can't have it all their way.

Your children are not even there 100% of the time so they are being extremely over the top.

There is a misconception about an 11pm cut off point with Councils. It is often longevity of the nuisance noise, noise levels, or on a daily basis etc. If it interferes with the enjoyment of your own home eg having to go inside, close windows etc. I think it was a bit OTT going to the police - they should have gone to the council first but I assume a police visit would get a quicker response. I think 10 pm is too late op, they sound really angry and you need to sort it out.

Surely it's no more annoying than the neighbours letting their dog in the garden at 6am and leaving it to bark until 8am though?

your neighbours sound awful and are probably the same sort of people that complain about teenagers spending all their times gaming/indoors.

tell them if they continue to scream at your children you will report their behaviour

you sound like a considerate person and I don’t think you have done anything wrong

Also agree with PP who said if you apologise it suggests you are admitting you’re wrong

Bouncing basketballs and footballs are really noisy. The sound drives me absolutely mad. I’d be furious if it went on till 10pm. YABU.

I’m a bit on the fence here….
I love that kids want to be outside playing. But living in a terraced house with a small garden and being at the mercy of footballs from the garden opposite, I do understand your neighbours rage. But you say your gardens are big? So can they play at the end of the garden so they are away from the neighbours? Also 10pm is way too late for balls. People are settled for the evening watching a bit of TV etc, don’t want to hear constant thud thud from balls. 9pm for balls but stay out in the garden talking quietly as late as they like! They could sit out there at midnight provided they are not making noise.
But you say this has been lately? So has something happened to make them change? Are the balls going into their garden? It does sound like there is something else going on, why would they scream and shout at each other for 20 minutes after you had all gone in?
I would contact your local police and arrange a meeting and show them the video of them shouting at your children.
I think being considerate does go a long way, and I suspect that 10pm is too late for them and they are getting upset. Of course, you also need to mention their noise…

Your neighbours are fuckwits. Keep a log of the times they try to intimidate you (that's what this behaviour is), I suspect you will need it in the future.

You never know, the police might have been checking on you following reports of neighbours behaviour by other neighbours around you.

They sound unhinged.

Honestly can people please stop saying that the cut off time for noise is 11pm or whatever other bullshit time they just make up. IT IS NOT.

Here are the actual facts on noise nuisance from someone that studied it for years, has the degree and worked in it for 20 years. A noise can be a Statutory Noise Nuisance at ANY time of the day or night. It is covered under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 sections 79 onwards. There is no set level. There is no set time. There is no set type of noise. There are no set places. There are vast amounts of case law on what constitutes a Statutory Nuisance but basically the original legal definition in case law was given as "one which is a nuisance to the man on the Clapham omnibus" (sic) So you have to take account of time of day, duration, audibility, tonal components, frequency and a whole host of other things. And yes literally any noise could be a statutory noise nuisance including the noise of children shouting and laughing. the reality though is that you have to go through all the other evidence as per my list above to determine if its just an annoyance or a statutory noise nuisance that requires action under the law. the reasons why these bullshit times and levels came about is to try and explain something that is complex with years of case law in a simple way. We used to advise dog owners that if a dog barked continuously for 20 minutes then it could be a statutory noise nuisance but that would depend on all the factors around times etc listed above.

I once prosecuted someone successfully for noise from their garden pond. I have also had to deal with loud sex and served a notice requiring the insulation between the two properties to be improved. So yes, young adults in the garden shouting and playing at 9pm, 10pm whatever in the evening COULD be a statutory noise nuisance. and without access to all the other information on duration, audibility, tonality, frequency, levels at recipient etc no one can say one way or the other.

Yes they are allowed to play in the garden of course, but basketball gives me the absolute fucking rage, we compromised, kind of with our neighbour, they moved it further away from our window ( not much). Ask your boys to put the hoop furthest away and to not play so late, trying to concentrate on a movie whilst listening to thud thud thud is torture, and probably why your neighbours flipped. But I would also mention the dog barking and bin thing just so they know it works both ways.

I would go round and tell them in no uncertain terms that if they carry on with this, you'll report them for harassment. Sure, teach your kids to keep the noise down and show respect but do not let these people dictate what you do. Once you start giving in to this type of person, they will think they're in charge and will complain about every little thing.

God how sad

Utterly ridiculous comment. If more kids were outside playing sport rather that glued to a screen I guarantee there would be less kids with mental health issues.