Garden fence problem!!

[footymum]

Can anyone help with a bit of a legal problem please?
Our neighbours agreed to go halves on replacing the garden boundary fence,but when the job was finished and we'd paid over �200 they didn't contribute a bean! Since then,their kids and their friends are constantly climbing over it a they keep kicking their football over-we always try to throw the ball back if we see it first and always ask them to come round and use the gate,not the fence,but usually get ignored..this family and their friends are well known to the police for antisocial behaviour and we're worried that we'll end up with a broken fence-can we legally attach gripper-rod or use anti-vandal paint? Or does anyone else know what we can do...many thanks.

[kwicky]

You don't say if either of your houses are owner occupied. If you are the responsibility for that boundary it will be shown on the deeds and therefore it is your upkeep.

To climb over the fence by their kids I assume the fence is only 3' high. You could add extra height by using a trellis on top and use a fast growing climber. You could also put burglar proof plants with sharp thorns on your side.

[footymum]

Hi..thanks for the reply..yes,both houses privately owner occupied..footymum

[jno]

try some of the prickly plants here perhaps

http://www.mfll.co.uk/gardening_for_security.h tm

[GeordiePengy]

Depends on which side of the boundary the fence belongs too. If it's your side then legally they don't have to contribute to the up keep of the fence. Maybe a prickly quick grower, or a beech hedge maybe the way forward...... Good luck!

[GeordiePengy]

Forgot to say - gripper-rod or any other man-made sharp device is a no no. They could theoretically prosecute you for actually bodily damage (or something like that) if the kids got injured.

I know this as a house I moved into had barbed wire down both sides of the garden installed by the previous occupier. A legal friend pointed out that it was a no-no for reasons above. Needless to say it came down within hours.

[kwicky]

When we were burgled some years ago I put up some barbed wire to deter them. Like the previous posting I found it to be illegal. The reason.... the burglar might injure himself!!!