How would you deal with a old lady, a shared drain and access issues?!

[zazas]

We have a semi detached house that has a shared drain (under the ground) with our next door neighbour. The set up is unusual in that we have all the land at the back of our house (which is a courtyard) which continues behind her house (she overlooks it). She has no outside area at the back and no access into it from her house - although she can of course come through our side gate.

Now she is rather old and quite concerned about this drain! Even though it is under the ground she likes to go into our back area and sweep the top of it - the concrete - of any stones that might have strayed onto it - she does this most days!

We have been here 2 years and been relatively tolerant of this (including not minding her scaring the pants of me when I see her peeping into the study from the back!) But now I have placed a small plastic type greenhouse there - against our wall and on top of the buried drain! It is the only place available for it unless I place it in the middle of the courtyard!

So now she is coming around each day and moving it off the concrete!

What to do? For some reason she feels that the concrete needs to be kept clear incase the drain blocks???? Like we couldn't move anything that was on it and wouldn't use rods through the access points first?

Any thoughts on how to cope with her rather strange reasoning??!!

Can you make something up to reassure her? Like you've got a special new product (e.g. washing soda if she wants to see it) that you put down the drain each week, and it keeps it all clear without needing to brush the concrete clear?

I think you're being very understanding!

can you go out of yor waty, ring the water company and get them to write to you confirming it is safe? Hassle, but then no hassle iyswim?

I wouldn't have been so nice as you!
But I think GrendelsMum's reasoning is good, also I do think it's important that you feel ok in your own home, not like you are due an intrusion at any moment. She should not be popping round via your side gate, what would she do if you were sunbathing topless for example?

Do the deeds actually say she has access over your property?

erm - surely her access is only for maintenance purposes, and what she's doing is not maintenance?

houses on my road have similar arrangements (though the shared drain is on a shared drive, in most cases, in some that bit is gated into one properties garden.. )

i have never heard of anyone using the access for anything other than repairs/ changes in the system and without consulting with their neighbours!

it is your garden and she has no legal right to access so just lock your gate.

Thanks for your replies! Reassured that I am being understanding - of course we feel 'sorry' for her as she obviously has very little to do each day and this wee 'chore' (the brushing) has become part of her routine!

Grendelsmum - actually it isn't even a drain entry point - it is just the pipe that she is worried about! Somewhere in the system hers joins ours and therefore is a joint one - as I write this it sounds even more strange that she is concerned about it

We are going to have to deal with it as we are also in the process of putting a fence around our front garden! Of course there is another shared drain pipe that runs along our shared boundary!

Even since we have moved in - she has gone to great lengths to tell me that I must not plant or place anything on top of the (buried) drain! To the point that when our discarded xmas tree was leaning on it she marched around to tell us that we couldn't plant a tree there!

Thinking the idea about the water company might be a good idea...

The deeds say nothing about shared access - just shared pipes... and yes what she is doing is not maintenance!

Perhaps you could be a bit less accessible to your neighbour? It sounds as if she's invading your privacy - the fence is a good idea.

Keep your gate locked so she can't just wander round - you could say your dcs/dog/whatever have been trying to escape and it's for safety reasons.