Recently moved in, the resident said the child it ‘too small’ to climb over so adult must be doing it
A resident has asked if it would be right to call police becvause a neighbour keeps climbing into his garden to get his son’s ball back. Asking on Reddit, the woman said they’d only recently moved in and the young lad loves to play football.
They said normally they throw it back, but with a goal against the fence, it happens a lot – and when they moved in, they noticed a ladder against the fence. However, the woman who lives in Northern Ireland said, as she lives alone, she is uncomfortable with people climbing into her garden.
She explained: “I moved into a new house end of last year and am having an ongoing problem with my neighbours behind my house. They have a football-loving child and have a goal set up against our shared wall, so a fair few footballs go over the fence. Until I moved in, the house was empty for about a year, so they had a ladder against the fence and obviously used it to climb over and get the balls themselves, which I understand was necessary.
“However, I’ve been living here for over six months now and I throw the balls back whenever I see them but sometimes I notice a ball when I’m in the middle of doing something, and then when I get a chance to go out and throw it back, it’s gone, so obviously they’re still doing it.
“I’ve seen the child out playing football, and he’s fairly young and too small to be able to climb in and out, so it’s clearly an adult doing it. It makes me really uncomfortable having someone around my garden without me knowing, especially as I’m a woman living alone, and having the ladder as easy access against the fence also makes me feel like my house isn’t secure.
“I’ve had a chat with him and said I’ll throw the balls back when I see them, but it’s still happened since then, so I don’t know what I can do. Is it enough of an issue to get police involved or am I overreacting and it’s something I just have to learn to live with?”
People said one answer was to install a security camera. One said, “Put a camera up. I would also put clear signs up and tell your neighbours. You could play a bit innocent and say “I’ve put cameras up because I think someone keeps coming into my garden.”
“Another option which I haven’t seen mentioned is a line of cheap and flimsy trellis along the top of the fence. This will hopefully discourage them from climbing over because it will break if they put any weight into it. I guess if they break it, that could be considered damaging your property.”
A user added: ”What age is the child? Anything over 6/7 and I would say its likely they are doing it. I doubt the police would be terribly interested, if you have an issue maybe get a CCTV camera (or even just a dummy one) and make a big fuss about installing it when one of the parents is in the back garden.”
The resident replied: “He looks about 7 but because my garden is lower than theirs, it’s a high climb back over so I would be surprised if it wasn’t an adult tbh, I guess a camera is probably the easiest thing, thanks”
One said just come clean about the worries: “Cameras, planting and sprinklers seem unnecessary complications when there’s a really simple solution. Tell them you are a woman on your own and having someone scale a ladder to get in your garden doesn’t make you feel safe, and tell them not to do it any more.”
On this issue West Yorkshire Police have said: “Involving the police in this type of issue is not always the best course of action as a first response. It can escalate the issue and cause more problems for both parties.
“If possible, speak to your neighbour about the problem and try and resolve it between you. Please note, if you keep the toys and refuse to give them back, you may eventually end up facing prosecution yourself.”
Curwens solicitors added: “You are not expected to tolerate repeated damage to your property, especially after raising concerns. English law supports your right to the peaceful enjoyment of your home and garden. However, you are also legally obligated to return every ball that ends up in your garden. Failure to do so could be considered ‘theft’ and lead to criminal prosecution! While it’s always best to resolve disputes amicably, if that fails, there are legal remedies available. Consulting a solicitor for tailored advice may be beneficial, especially if the damage continues or escalates.
“To prove negligence, you would need to demonstrate that your neighbour owed you a duty of care, breached that duty (by failing to control their children), and that this directly caused damage to your greenhouse. Repeated incidents, particularly after you’ve raised the issue, strengthen your claim that the parent has been negligent.”