Does anyone have any experience of reporting neighbours?

[PregnantGrrrl]

I found out yesterday that my granparents are having problems with their neighbours. The neighbours in question have always been very noisy and dirty in general, but tolerable.

While my grandparents were away for the weekend, the neighbours Alsation got into their garden, because the man next door had piled all his junk against their wall, and the dog used it to climb over. He totally trashed their garden- my Grampa had worked very hard on it, despite failing health, and now all his plants, lawn and veg is wrecked. The neighbours said nothing when they came home and saw it, and haven't apologised.

My Grampa has asked them to move their junk so that the dog can't intimidate them, but he has done nothing. They love sitting in their garden, but can't go out now because the dog stands on the wall snarling and pacing.

Their kids have also starting sitting on the shared wall in the front of the houses, which is technically my Grandparents wall. When my Gran asked them to move because there were several of them making alot of noise, she got told to f. off.

I am fuming, but my Gran (who is normally very forward) won't say anything because one of the parents has recently had a death in the family.

Sorry if i've waffled!

Does this sound like something i could report? It's not council accomodation, but surely something can be done?

afaik it is up to your grandparents to keep the dog out of their garden not the dog owners.

Could they put up a taller fence?

sounds a really horrible situation BTW

Your poor grandparents. Sounds like the neighbours are being very inconsiderate. Would a possible solution be to increase the height of the wall? Maybe put some trellis or something on top? It would stop the children and dog being able to stand and sit on it. It would be a very non-confrontational way of dealing with the situation.

it's not though- the wall is high already, the neighbours have piled so much rubbish in their garden, that their dog climbs it and reaches my granparents property.

They can complain about the dog barking though and should get in touch with environmental health at their local council.

I'm going to visit them today- if my gran still hasn't done anything i may report it for her. Only thing is though, they are quite unpleasant. My grandparents suspect they scratched their car a few months ago because my Gran asked the man next door to stop parking his uninsured / untaxed Transit outside her house house with junk hanging out of the back of it.

I don't know if i'll make it worse

surely if you have dog you are not supposed to just let it go where it wants?????

how awful for your grandparents

I think Furball is right about the council being able to help with the barking but, Furball, I don't think it's correct that it's up to the grandparents to keep the dog out of their property, not the dog-owners to keep it in. Dogs have to be kept under control. If it's wandering into other gardens, it is technically straying. I'd double-check that one with the council (or police maybe). You may be able to force them to remove the junk if it is providing the dog with a means of escape.

the thing is, my Grampa loves animals, but he's even going to buy one of those things that only dogs can hear that hurts their ears, so that it'll stay away.

looking at the environmental health website for their area, it says if approaching them doesn't work, they will send a letter and diary to my Gran to keep track of noise etc, which they will look at and decide if there's a problem or not.

Are the properties privately owned? If the neighbours are renting then you can contact their landlord and complain.

I'm pursuing this myself at the mo altho my nasty neighbours don't sound half so bad as your poor Grandparents. It's mainly party noise from them.

Otherwise, contact your local council as they should have a dept dealing with anti-social and intimidating behaviour of this nature.

I just checked my local government website and they have numbers to call and advise keeping a diary.

Also, if you think the dog is being mis-treated or is a danger call the RSPCA.

Of course, the fear with all of these actions is that the neighbours will know it's your GPs and step up their nasty behaviour.

Hope this helps and that your GPs get their garden and peace and quiet back very soon, they sound lovely.

The local council should be able to help with the dog barking and maybe even having the junk removed from the garden if it's a health hazard. Have you tried Age Concern or CAB? They probably have experience of older folk feeling intimidated by neighbours - this could be seen as antisocial behaviour but you'd need to get advice on that. Don't confront the neighbours yourself.

thanks both.

i won't be confronting them myself- she's built like a brick you-know-what and not very pleasant!

i'm sure their garden is a health hazzard- it's always piled with building rubble, wood, metal etc. And if it's helping their dog escape, it's clearly an issue.

you could also ringing the DVLA on 0800 032 5202 with the reg. No, the make, model and colour of their vehicle to report the no tax thing.

It is the case to stop the dog comming in to your garden not the dog owners responsiblity to keep them out

My Parents in Law live in a similar situation to your grandparents PG

I think thats awful, it should be up to the dog owner, does the dog do its business in your granparents garden? if so surely something can be done about that.

Im sure you could get some support from the rspca, as letting a dog roam like that is not responsible ownership.

I thought it was only cats ythat were classified as wild animals, therefore the owner was not expected to control where they go.

Can you pretend that you've got a rat problem and then put some sort of repellent (like rat poison) in the garden. Then politely inform the neighbours what you've done so that they may keep their dog away?

The dog laws are very clear. It is the responsibility of the owner to keep the dog out of other people's gardens. I know this because our neighbours fence blew down and they didn't replace it for ages and although it is their fence the law says we have to take action to stop our dogs going onto their side.

Try the neighbours from hell website at nfh.org.uk and gardenlaw.co.uk. Both have loads of info on the law and what you can and can't do.

Also try this www.naturenet.net/law/dogs.html

If your dog or indeed any animal under your control injures a person or animal or damages property, the owner or person responsible may be liable for damages. This would be a civil claim and not necessarily a criminal offence.

if a dog is dangerously out of control in a public place, or a private place where it is not permitted to be, the owner; and if different, the person for the time being in charge of the dog, is guilty of an offence.

"A dog shall be regarded as dangerously out of control on any occasion on which there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that it will injure any person, whether or not it actually does so."

(extracts from the dangerous dogs act of 1991)

furball- my Gran has tried reporting him about the tax thing, but miraculously each time, he suddenly parks his van in his garage for a week or two when she does. She thinks he might know someone working there, because the office isn't far from here.

I may try the RSCPA, because they recently tightened the laws didn't they, so that they can intervene earlier before irresponsibility becomes cruelty. I'll have a nose later and see if it has a kennel or water out there.

thanks for all your suggestions- i'll write down some ideas and take them to my Gran's later and see what she says.

well i've seen the dog- it's still a puppy, and tbh i think it just wants company and to play as it's left outside, but that not my grandparents job, obviously! Apparently since they know the dog wrecked the garden, they now sometimes chain it up outside if they going out for a while. I told my Gran to ring the RSPCA if they are doing that.

She's promised to ring environmental health about the junk and the dog, so hopefully something will be done.

Your nan can ring the local anti-social behaviour co-ordinator at the local council and they can give advice about the dog and the mess ect. You can find the local one in your area by looking on www.respect.gov.uk

I have the oposite problem to this, my neighbour complaining about things like....

my alarm in the morning, my kids accidentally throwing toys over the fence, doors slamming shut in the wind etc etc general family house noise, and god help my cats if they lay one paw on their car bonnet

although im no-where near the below mentioned lol

actually the way they are described makes me think of shamelesses maguire family