talkmagic.co.uk

Hi Chaps,

Sorry to post such a boring topic, but I'm goin round in circles and thought - well, if nothing else magic peeps are smart and resourceful!

So, here goes; I live in the first house of a cul-de-sac and there just so happens to be at 50ft by 50ft gap of road and pavement between our house and the main road (no grass) However, kids in the area have now deemed it a football pitch!!! And its driving us mad. Now the summer is coming we constantly have a hoard of kids outside our house either jumping on the front garden to retreive a stray football, banging on the front door asking for it back out of our of the back garden, or patching up the fence - again!


Please, don't think I want kids to be stuck in the house playing in the PS3 and getting fat etc, but I also can not afford to replace my end fence again and the numerous mini dents to the car!!! And whilst there is a field 50 metres away that they can play on, the parents tell them "not to leave the road" so they can see where they are! I know where they are OUTSIDE MY BLOODY HOUSE!

I have contacted the council but apparently, they can put up signs but you need the signature of 438 residents, and the pope and they will not enforce it in a private residential area anyway! Great.......!

Help?

I'm afraid there's not much you can do. Evan if you got a petition signed to ban football in your area it won't stop kids doing it. This may sound like a glib response but really your best course of action is to replace your fence with something sturdier, include a gate and a sign telling the kids to get the football themselves, soundproof your house or play music and not be too concerned with dents in your car.

Or you could go round to all the neighbors and tell them your legally required to inform them you're a sex offender. The downside of this is the occasional angry mob and dog s*** through your letterbox but the parents will keep their kids away then.

Remember it's their neighborhood too. I don't agree with the parents decision to stop them going to the park, but in this socioty kids do get the short end of the stick. Playing is the only freedom they've really got and they have to do it somewhere.

One of the problems is no one wants kids sitting inside all day playing games and getting fat, but they also don''t want them to play outside near them.

Actually If you've got the time and the inclination, the best method would be to get to know the kids, talk to them like people and try to reach a compromise with them.

Get in touch with your local safer neighbourhood team who will be able to provide you with the available options.

I was sorry to read of your predicament as it's a tricky one as you don't want to be the grump of the road. I dont agree with giving strangers access rights to your property. That leaves you open to many things not least being disturbed while sunbathing!!

Have you spoken to the parents regarding the damage to your car? What you may be able to do is keep a record of incidents and present this, along with police help, to the local council who can impose a 'no ball games' area in the cul de sac.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Alec

Show them a 20 minute 8 ring linking ring routine, that will bore the bejeezus out of them and they will never come back.

.... maybe there are ways of making the patch of land "unattractive" to them.
I'm in no way condoning any of the following, but desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures.

If you've got a dog - where does it go to the toilet ?? If it doesn't use this patch of land - how about scooping it up from elsewhere and strategically placing it ...... this is possibly a fineable offence so get your balaclava and ninja suit out and don't do it in daylight.
Bits of broken glass, nails, bits of wood here and there wouldn't go amiss .... don't overdo it - you don't want to cause any harm - just enought to put them off popping their ball when they see the mess.

Again - I'm not condoning any of the above - but maybe a new approach is necessary if all else fails ??

Whatever you do never ever let them know they are irritating you. It will escalate.

The reason council estates have "No Ball Games" signs on gable ends is down to kids kicking ball against the wall of the house. That will drive you insane; since you didn't mention it I guess it isn't happening atm.

All the things you would like to do to the little baskets will get YOU in trouble.

Sell the place before the summer. Any sensible viewer won't even get out of their car if they see a football game in progress.

Or you could go round to all the neighbors and tell them your legally required to inform them you're a sex offender. The downside of this is the occasional angry mob and dog s*** through your letterbox but the parents will keep their kids away then

.

Drastic - but possibly effecitve!!!!

Remember it's their neighborhood too. I don't agree with the parents decision to stop them going to the park, but in this socioty kids do get the short end of the stick. Playing is the only freedom they've really got and they have to do it somewhere.

I agree completely. kids playing out is what we have all done for years, but whilst it is their neighbourhood also, they don't have to foot the bills for fence and car dents. One of the kids lives in a house that has just had a huge garden renovation / landscape and a conservatory fitted - hence they don't want little Jonny wacking the ball against that, so let him bash the ball against our car in the road.

Erwin wrote:Whatever you do never ever let them know they are irritating you. It will escalate.

The reason council estates have "No Ball Games" signs on gable ends is down to kids kicking ball against the wall of the house. That will drive you insane; since you didn't mention it I guess it isn't happening atm.

All the things you would like to do to the little baskets will get YOU in trouble.

Sell the place before the summer. Any sensible viewer won't even get out of their car if they see a football game in progress.

Thanks

You are right tho. if it was a council estate maybe I would get somewhere, but the small but problematic area is a private space however, these kids just don't care. As you say we don't have a ball constantly smashing into the side of our house, but I love where we live and just wish the parents would be a little more considerate about what their kids do.

However much a parent love's their garden, I am sure that they will understand that you love your car just as much. And as such damage to your car hurts you just as much as you are sure damage to their garden would hurt them. Possibly mention an example of overnight them finding large dug up spotches in their turf.

If they're damaging your property, then you're well within your rights to get the police involved. Check to see if your local coppers have some sort of community liaison officer who can speak to the parents. They should take a cop's word more seriously than they might take yours.

Simple anti-burglar deterrents will equally deter kids from trespassing on your property -- out back in particular, where you might not see them every time. A stout, bolted gate and prickler strips all along the wall worked for us, although teens once kicked the gate in to get a ball back. Thorny hedges (e.g. holly) also work well, I hear.

You basically DO have to end up being the neighbourhood grump, but not to such a degree that the kids decide to torment you deliberately. Get out there and shout -- and swear if appropriate -- every time. Make it abundantly clear that if you find a football in your garden you'll run a carving knife through it before chucking it back over the wall/fence.

I like the idea of making the area less pleasant to play on. Dog droppings are what really turned us off as kids -- and on a hot day they can smell, too. The odd broken bottle. NOT stones, bricks, or anything else that might be useful as ammunition. A "no ball games" sign won't do anything to deter them; they've already shown they don't care about other people's rights.

As a last resort, I can point you to some traditional hoodoo "crossing" powders that are supposed to curse anyone who steps on them!

Next time they start playing go out and wash the car. And if the ball comes your way join in the game. Nothing like a "grown up" getting involved to wind them up and make them move on...

Easy...Just park your/old car right in the middle...
A 2nd hand scrapper is about £50 and no tax required as its not on the road..

FRK wrote:Easy...Just park your/old car right in the middle...
A 2nd hand scrapper is about £50 and no tax required as its not on the road..

.... or if you've got ALOT more than 50 quid to spare - try buying the land from the council and fence it off to extend your garden