Neighbours and my garden.

[Becuriousnotjudgemental1980]

I don’t know how to approach this. We are in a row of terrace houses. The gardens all back onto à lane. All gardens have a gate out to the back lane. Newish neighbours have covered their back gate for safety im
guessing and they have a dog. Three times now I’ve been in the kitchen to see random blokes using my gate to come in from the back lane walk through my garden to get to next doors garden. And they leave the gate open every time! I’m right that this is cheeky fuckery aren’t I?? I’m right to want to go and tell them to stop doing it. Who does that without asking if it’s ok?? I told their kid I didn’t mind if he comes in to retrieve balls but that doesn’t mean please use my garden however you bloody wish does it?!

Ok. No need to be snippy.

They are CFs.
But to help my understanding, where is the ginnel in relation to the lane.
I can't picture why there needs to be both. Terraces I've lived in either had a shared access running immediately outside
the back doors or a ginnel at the bottom that everyone had a gate onto (Coronation Street style).

I’m not! Out of the first six replies, five of them said ‘get a padlock’!

At least if the gates are locked or even just bolted it shows an intention to keep people out. A bolt top and bottom of both gates wouldn't cost much at all and you could add a couple of cheap padlocks as well. If they then climb over it would be very obviously abusing your garden. They probably think just nipping through unlocked gates is OK, particularly if you haven't complained.

I can't believe you haven't shouted oi you cheeky fucker get out of my garden! .... or maybe nicer words but to that effect

Diagram!!

I looked at him puzzled and gave a 🤷🏻‍♀️ next time I’ll be yelling at him.

I think it’s like this - at the end of the gardens everyone has a gate going out into a lane or road running along all the gardens. There is one gate there.

Separately, imagine standing on the road at the front, looking at a terraced row of houses. Some of the houses ie OPs and her neighbour’s have a private alley running from the street along their whatever the downstairs rooms are - dining room or whatever. If you have a key to open the gate you can pass between the two houses, it’s usually narrow enough for only one person. At the end are two more gates - one to OPs garden, one to the neighbour. You can either go into one of the gardens or you can turn around and go back to the road where the fronts of the terraces are.

oops, cross posted with OP sorry.

maybe. I just think it’s weird! Who thinks that’s ok?? I’m going to get a bolt and a padlock like you say as a deterrent. I’ll be going round there later as well. Now that I feel like I’m not being a drama queen!

I start screaming help help burglars someone call the police and throw stuff at him.

That’s the other thing. It’s some random mate of next doors doing it as well as the neighbours.

Yes, they're CF but the important thing is to make them stop asap, the longer this goes on without you telling them No or taking steps to keep them out the more they'll think it's OK.

Husband has just caught him doing it again and given him a telling off so at least that’s done.

of course they are cheeky fuckers!

Of course they are CF's.
Get a camera up.
That wouldn't happen twice here.

If I saw a stranger in my garden, I'd bang on the window and shout 'Oi! What are you doing??'

Have a word with the neighbours and say you don't want strangers coming through your garden!

A thick row of holly is a very good thing from a wildlife point of view.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/things-to-do/canal-and-river-wildlife/a-spotters-guide-to-waterway-wildlife/identifying-wildlife/holly-and-ivy-a-winter-haven-for-birds#:~:text=Shelter%20from%20the%20cold&text=However%2C%20it%20has%20also%20been,with%20little%20food%20and%20shelter.