Allotments 4 All

My neighbours have just got themselves the largest free standing baseball set going.

In their large garden, where do they put it ?  ... just the other side of the fence to my veg plot, with the hoop against my fence.

Guess what ? ... where do you think their near misses go ... straight on my veg.
These a not small, light balls, but more of the big Barnes Wallis type, destroying everything in their path.

In the few sunny days we had last week, I've lost all my leeks, half a row of carrots, endless onions, and some damage to my broad beans.

I've spoken to the neighbours, but they just say "you cant stop the boys having fun in the nice weather".
I'm quite happy for them to have fun, but NOT at my expense.

I've suggested resiting the hoop, but their not interested. (The rest of their garden is a tip and it would take effort to clear it.)


I've now got fed up of returning balls that will just come back over to do more damage.

On Mon,  I had 2 of them.
On Wed, 4 more.

Now the weathers cooled down a bit, they're not quite so interested, but I still found one this morning, and so far I'm keeping it.
With the coming Bank Hol. weather going to be nice again, I need to prepare.


What should I do ?
I don't want to stop them, but just show more respect for my property?
I just want them to feel the same pain and inconvenience that I am.

This sort of thing is so maddeningly awkward...I really feel for you. You feel so dam angry and rightly so, they are being totally inconsiderate, and yet they are neighbours and you would prefer to stay on good terms....
My first instinct was to tell you not to return any of there dam balls, or if you do burst them first (have you a dog? my collie is brilliant at bursting balls and if it was happening to me, I imagine Basil would get to the balls before me and put paid to them) but guess that is not the neighbourly thing to do....

My second thought is that maybe you could just leave them where they have landed in your garden (maybe too frustrating to do??) and wait for them to run out of balls and then they will come to you to ask for them back... then take the opportunity to invite them into your garden to collect the balls themselves but prior to them actually picking them up get them to see for themselves the damage the balls are doing to your vegetables and hope this appeals to their better nature!!

Thirdly try and raise your fence by adding some trellis or something like that, at least in the offending baseball hoop area.... maybe add a few spikes to it just for the fun of it!!

Wish I could be more helpful.... hate this neighbour thing... I imagine you will have a great deal more useful solutions by the end of this thread and I hope it will produce a solution to your problem!!

A book may be compared to your neighbour: if it be good it cannot last too long; if bad, you cannot get rid of it too early. Henry Brooke

I feel for  you I really do.

Im one house away from the neighbours from hell.  A single woman with 11 kids and 2 more on the way!!
They only moved in a few months ago and already have wrecked the house and garden.  My direct neighbour has had her fence destroyed by these kids too.

There new thing is batting anything they can get there hands on and dont give two hoots where they land.  A lump of charcoal came flying over and narrowly missed my son.  Balls are a problem too, stones, snails, coat hangers, anything they can get their hands on they try bat.

All the neighbours have approached the mother, but get abuse and sworn at and told that she cant help her children's behaviour.  Telling the kids off directly we are hurled with abuse too.

We now recording everything they do, and want them gone!!. 

Police have gone round on several occasions with little effect to their behaviour.

Its a difficult one  ???

same here we had 3 years of hell from our old neighbour b4 he finally sold up only to find out he is now doing the same to his new neighbours and we had to go to court to help them out anyway maybe build a frame with chicken wire it may be a bit of an inconvenience but if it saves your veg then its worth it as for there balls well i best not say on here lol

we have a nursery behind us, always get soft balls and plastic ones, never a problem for 3 years, the latest is a space hopper, I thought it an isolated incident the first time..second time, bounced on the onion bed and landed in the middle of the garlic, I've had it 2 days now, I don't intend to throw it back, this is a nursery , an 8' wall and I would have trouble throwing it over  :o

It used to happen to me with footballs. Sorted now after I printed out a form that the parents had to sign to get the ball back. This form had the time of offence, the damage done, and the cost of the damage. If they do not sign they don't get the ball back. Tell them that the form is for your solicitor. You will find the trouble stops instantly.

You can also google footballs in gardens and print out the results to give them at the same time as signing your form.

You will be suprised to know that a loose fotball in your garden counts as trespass.

ACE, you crack me up!

Sorry, but I'd burst it and throw it back.  They'll soon get the message.  How many balls will they want to keep replacing?  It doesn't sound neighbourly but then neither is their nonchalant attitude toward your hard work and vegetables!!  It will give them a taste of what it's like to have something ruined and unusable.  Perhaps they'll get the message, perhaps they won't.  Be firm and stand your ground.  It's not as if you haven't asked them nicely is it? 

Quote from: springbokgirlie on May 18, 2008, 08:13:00
I feel for  you I really do.

Im one house away from the neighbours from hell.  A single woman with 11 kids and 2 more on the way!!
They only moved in a few months ago and already have wrecked the house and garden.  My direct neighbour has had her fence destroyed by these kids too.

There new thing is batting anything they can get there hands on and dont give two hoots where they land.  A lump of charcoal came flying over and narrowly missed my son.  Balls are a problem too, stones, snails, coat hangers, anything they can get their hands on they try bat.

All the neighbours have approached the mother, but get abuse and sworn at and told that she cant help her children's behaviour.  Telling the kids off directly we are hurled with abuse too.

We now recording everything they do, and want them gone!!. 

Police have gone round on several occasions with little effect to their behaviour.

Its a difficult one  ???

These kind of people are never going to change.
The only answer is to put these families where they will do the least harm.
Wheres that I hear you ask, well how about this.
House these people in the oldest run down council estates, just fit the houses out with the basics.
If they wreck the house don't do any repairs.
Oh and these estates to have a wall around them so these misfits cannot cause problems for normal people

The trouble with these ghettos is that they join forces and go out on raiding parties to gather whatever the want with no regard on how or where they get it from.

You could keep all the balls until the veg has been harvested and only then return them .

Thanks for all your ideas.

However, I don't own the party fence, and so don't really want to make modifications to it.

And from Googling "footballs in gardens", I understand that the balls remain my neighbours property.

Keeping them is considered theft, and I could be in for a dawn raid from the Force.
Bursting them is damage to their property and I would be liable for that.

So, I don't have any rights what so ever.


They can keep chucking ball into my garden as often as they like and I have a legal duty to return them.

Perhaps as ACE said, I need to get legal with them.

I know this may sound a tadge extreme but a couple of large scaffold poles placed in the ground "say" 6 inches from the fence" hence not affecting their property" and some netting may repel the balls from the offending area. Its a difficult subject I must say.

Cheers
Tony

Quote from: Baaaaaaaa on May 18, 2008, 14:33:47

Bursting them is damage to their property and I would be liable for that.

So, I don't have any rights what so ever.

Yes, but are they the sort of neighbours who would bring back a punctured ball and start quoting criminal damage at you or are they the sort of neighbours who'd get the message and knock it on the head?  Anyway, I think you should still puncture them before throwing them back and say that they're getting punctured by what they're landing on over your side of the garden  ;) ;D  Tell them you have sharp poles, plants, rocks etc etc.  They'll get the message :)

i would tell them that the ball " must have bounced on to next door " and then puncture them and dispose of the evidence as quick as possible.

Quote from: Baaaaaaaa on May 18, 2008, 01:30:45
My neighbours have just got themselves the largest free standing baseball set going.

In their large garden, where do they put it ?  ... just the other side of the fence to my veg plot, with the hoop against my fence.

Guess what ? ... where do you think their near misses go ... straight on my veg.
These a not small, light balls, but more of the big Barnes Wallis type, destroying everything in their path.

In the few sunny days we had last week, I've lost all my leeks, half a row of carrots, endless onions, and some damage to my broad beans.

I've spoken to the neighbours, but they just say "you cant stop the boys having fun in the nice weather".
I'm quite happy for them to have fun, but NOT at my expense.

I've suggested resiting the hoop, but their not interested. (The rest of their garden is a tip and it would take effort to clear it.)


I've now got fed up of returning balls that will just come back over to do more damage.

On Mon,  I had 2 of them.
On Wed, 4 more.

Now the weathers cooled down a bit, they're not quite so interested, but I still found one this morning, and so far I'm keeping it.
With the coming Bank Hol. weather going to be nice again, I need to prepare.


What should I do ?
I don't want to stop them, but just show more respect for my property?
I just want them to feel the same pain and inconvenience that I am.

I used to live to next door to neighbours like this,for 2 years i had to put up with footballs,beer cans,dog faeces thrown into the garden,verbal abuse and loud music going on to the small hours  life was hell!! :( We aproached the council,police etc,we were told to keep a diary of events and then send the diary back to the council,they then sent out a letter to these people that if it carried on they would be served a court order,the council finally evicted them and since then its been heaven ;D

Quote from: Baaaaaaaa on May 18, 2008, 14:33:47
I understand that the balls remain my neighbours property.

Keeping them is considered theft, and I could be in for a dawn raid from the Force.
Bursting them is damage to their property and I would be liable for that.

Yes the ball is their property.  However, Keep a piece of wood with a nail in it.  When the ball comes over it would be a shame if it happened to land on the nail.  What a coincidence ::)    They could still have the ball back.

How could you be keeping the ball if it continues to bounce and bounces out of your garden.   You never had it to start with ;)

Coat it with manure then hand it back and say sorry it landed in my manure heap! Make sure it's fresh manure not well rotted. If you haven't got any get some specially.

A few buckets of nettles fermenting by the fence should make them move it.  :o :'(      ;D ;D ;D