On Fri night, I went to a kitchenware party (yawn) at my neighbour's house. During the evening, her husband was telling me about a mutual neighbour (next-door but one to him) who is really horrible to his kids. Apparently he left his two children in the garden for 2 hours in the blazing sun without a drink, under threat of something nasty if they moved. Forgot to mention that he is the SAHP, as his wife works. He also has shut them in the garage and not fed them on at least one occasion. He also threatened to shove his son's cricket bat handle up his (the son's) bottom if he didn't shut up. He drinks to excess, and admitted (whilst under the influence) to dh and the N-D-N yesterday that he had driven home from the pub the other day after drinking.
Bearing in mind, none of this (except the driving part) is first-hand knowledge, and might be exaggerated by the people who told me. They do say that he is a really horrible man, and is always shouting at his kids (so lock me up too!) I just can't get the idea of his poor children sitting in the hot sun out of my mind.
What, if anything, should/can I do? Is it reportable bearing in mind that it is all hearsay from my point of view? Advice would be very much appreciated, even if it is to tell me that there is nothing I can do. I am haunted by the fact that something awful could happen to them, and I could have stopped it.