Can any law protect us from jeering neighbours?

[Solo2]

I'm pretty sure there's nothing we can do and it may sound trivial but....we've had difficulties with the next door neighbours (as I've relayed in another thread "Is this legal? Blackmail threatened")

Now the neigbour children are climbing a tree, who's branches overhang their garden, in order to stare in at us at a height but from about 2 feet away. They jeer and 'catcall' the whole time we're out there, like tonight, really rude, personal remarks, just about anything to try to stop us enjoying ourselves.

I presume they're not doing anything against the law and that anyone can say anything in their own garden and look into their neighbours garden, without this being in any way illegal?

I can't talk to the parents, as we're not on speaking terms and from the background context, I'm 90% sure the parents are actively encouraging and condoning the children's behaviour anyway. So they'd probably be pleased with themselevs if I complained.

All we do, at present, is try to act like we're paying no attention and carry on with our activity in the garden. But of course it's intensely intrusive and upsetting and all I really want to do is go back into the house, which the next door children interpret as them having 'won' again.

What if anything can I do? My only possible solution is to break the law myself and erect an extension panel heightening our garden fence to obscure their view. But even if we did, and they'd probably complain to the council, I'm pretty sure they'd find another means of climbing high in their garden to look over (they already use their trampoline for this too).

"I just find it difficult to up the ante, as my default position generally is to ignore, walk away, not confront."

Sorry to strong arm you a little, but how is the above helping you Solo?

NO MORE MRS NICE GUY!

Call the police, get THEM to read them the riot act, what these people are doing is beyond unreasonable. If you don't call the police, then they WON'T do anything. CRY FGS woman!!!

Jesus, if my DS was complained about like this, I'd be MORTIFIED!

You are going to have to get an order against them in the end, so get on with it and start the fight. It's them or YOU and YOU are going to win.

Fight for your life, your home and your right to quiet enjoyment of your home

Op so sorry to hear you are having this trouble. Especially as you are on your own.
Whoever you go to for help or advice will ask you to show them proof. In my experience children like this have huge amounts of energy and will not tire especially with their parents having encouraged them. And, if you are not reacting to what they do now, they may well up the anti. Sorry, only you can guage if this is the case.

So please start collecting proof - Make a note of times they are out harrassing you, how many are there, what is said, etc. Record it, if you can. Get a cheap dictaphone type thing. You can also video their behaviour from one of your rooms facing your garden. You dont need to make this obvious to them.

The other thing I thought of was a Pergola-type thing. Argos may well be reducing these now, end of season, but a strong one could be put up for a bit and they wouldnt see you under it.

Thanks. Am also trying to think of what we could rig up to obscure their view. They can already see over the top of our corner arbour which is right in front of the tree they climb. I wonder if I could adapt a sail shade thing that I've seen on the web, to make it slant so as to block their view?

I WILL collect evidence from now. With the weather being worse, they haven't been in their garden but the other day the minute we went out, I'd seen their upstairs bedroom curtains closed (this was around 3pm and their children were out I think) and suddenly, they half opened and after a while, they completely opened, as if the mum (her car was in their drive) was watching us.

I should add at this point that what they're actually looking at, part of the timne, is us swimming in our new natural swimming pond. They are obviously seethingly jealous (despite th fact they're richer than us and I only was able to have one built because of a legacy from my recently dead parents).

They shouted out fatty at my sons (one who is average build and the other skinny) and I and called me a black snake and shouted "What a horrible swimming pool", "I'd get out of there quickly if I were you, there's a snake in there!" "Oh what a disgusting swimming pool!" the whole time we swam the other day. We feel even more vulnerable in our swimwear - especially me - as I'm middle aged and plump and their mother is about 15 yr younger, toned and with long blond hair.

I hate the idea of them watching us surreptitiously but actually hate it even more that our private, quiet swim is immediately spoiled by their jeers about 3 feet away.

The minute we go into the house, they get down from their tree and when we're not in the garden, they're not in the tree.

I've looked at that website - Garden Law. It sounds as if we may be in trouble if I build the fence higher than 2 metres, using trellis but I MAY be able to have some privacy trellis on two poles, further into our garden - although not sure how we could fit this in.

I have a feeling they WILl continue, as by next summer, we'll be swimming more and in the garden more of the time and they're just going to hate this. I also worry that as they get older, they'll do something to invade and vandalise our garden, as the mum has made it clear to me that she isn't ever going to monitor her children's behaviour or prevent them getting into trouble and takes the view that they should be free to make their own mistakes.

She's also made a remark to me about how you can't stop typical teenagers breaking the law etc and we were all teenagers once (so presumably she was a teenager who happily broke the law) and so clearly falls into the camp of not controlling her children's behaviour at all.

I have a friend who's husband is a police officer and I may ask him whether or not our local police would be able to do anything or be interested at all in this.

Yes, the sail thing sounds good as does the trellis. Worth a try. Could you grow something fast growing up the corner of your arbour too?
She sounds utterly horrible and certainly has a strange attitude on raising her children. It will backfire on her in the end. You must start recording on tape and video asap. Then you have the proof when you are ready to take action.

There have been a few cases of neighbour harassment in the news recently so be assured that councils and police are well aware of their responsibilities to act upon your information.

Praying for Karma.

Solo - I'd start obviously filming them, by which I don't mean tracking them yourself - just putting up cameras along the fenceline of your own garden (shot can't intrude onto next door as that invokes all sorts of dodgy hellishness)

Try a buddleia for screening, also try water pistols with vinegar in them.

Little bastards...

Can I erect an arbour that's at least 8 ft tall or are there restrictions on height even for these?

The children appear to be climbing almost double the height of our 2 metre garden fence (6ft 6ins, I think?) It may even be higher than this!

Although we're not in our garden tonight, the man who has been doing our fencing was here and the entire time he was working, the children were peering out at him through the foliage of the tree. It was incredibly rude - although this time they weren't calling out (presumably because it wasn't myself and DCs).

FWIW...

Several years ago my daughter, then about 17, had problems with a former friend (they had fallen out though I can't remember why) & the FF's boyfriend, which culminated in the FF walking past DD in a pub, tipping a pint glass of blackcurrant squash over her head & legging it.

The blackcurrant stained both her hair & her clothes & we went to the local police who defined this as ABH (I think!). A PC then went to interview the FF, & she was so bolshy & defensive he threatened to chuck her into the back of his van & take her into custody; at that point she bottled it & cried & conceded she had been wrong. There was no more trouble.

Anyway...point is, what they are doing (esp the parents) is both immoral & illegal, & they need telling & warning off.

I would hope that you won't need to film what they're doing in order to make your case. The police can tell you if they need to see hard evidence or not, & you can take it from there. Maybe you could get your fencing man to back you up about today?

Screening probably won't help, as they could still see you from the house & then yell at you over the fence (orchestrated by their mother)

I hope you can get it stopped. It sounds horrible