Trespassing Kids - What can I do?

[Alex225]

Oh the bus stop is just a single decker that goes round the local area picking up the oldies who don't drive. You probably get one person every couple of hours sat there.

The irony is that the area is deathly quiet 99% of the time which was part of the appeal. The road is not a through road to anywhere other than the school so again, there's next to no traffic at any time. In fact if I'm outside washing the car for a few hours, I could count on one hand how many cars would go past.

The trouble with this particular school is that it has a very poor reputation and the lack of discipline shows in how a lot of their students behave. Most are pleasant enough and just typical kids but there is an element of attitude ridden little sh!ts which other schools won't take, being an academy now they take them in and often from areas that are 15 miles out. For example, group of kids messing around in the middle of the road, one steps back into the path of a car that was only doing about 20mph. First reaction of the kids is to try and start on the driver, he was about 65 years old and utterly mortified. The kid that was hit was fortunately only bruised along with his ego but what do his parents do? Try and sue the driver for dangerous driving. Rather than teach the kid a bit of road sense and that he's an idiot for being in the road in the first place!

Sad fact is that it is realistically a minority but for people who've had to claim for damage on multiple occasions from the school and when you see the softly softly approach the teachers have towards the pupils, it's no wonder a handful of them go beyond that. Throwing things through porch windows for example is not 'just kids being kids' that's just being a little sh!t with no respect.

 

[Headhurts]

Keep complaining to the school and police, when you do this make it in writing to the school headed up complaint, this will affect the schools ratings.

As it’s an academy control of the school no longer comes under the local authority but now is the responsibility of ministers at parliament or one of their departments, it would not hurt writing to them.

Most of these types of schools operate a non confrontational system and my personal belief is this does not work with some pupils.

At what point did children/youngsters become more important than adults?

Robin

 

[Alex225]

Thanks Robin, that's an interesting post.

It just seems that there doesn't seem to be any fear of consequences. I mean I finished my education in 2000 and there was no beatings or canings but there was still an element of respect and I don't recall any of my mates wandering into people's gardens or going near cars etc.

To be fair, it's a shame the reputation of the school isn't better. It's literally 3 minutes walk from my house and as it stands, I wouldn't send either of my kids there. A few more locals have started sending kids there but overall, most of the pupils are not local.

 

[WDB124066]

I doubt you will get resolution through the school. In fact I'd say they'd turn on you and make you the problem rather than the poor little dears who used to be able to go by your place no problem at all for many years...

Your focus must turn elsewhere, tea, gate or paintball gun in the bag so you know who to point to.

 

[KennyN]

I doubt you will get resolution through the school.

Got to agree with that , knowing how some schools operate then they would probably tell them that the chap at number XX with the two silver cars has complained thus making you and your property the focus of their attention ,for a bit of sport not just at school times, until you need to get the police involved which will involve their parents again making you the center of their attention for daring to call the plod on their wee cherubs so i think we can see where this may be heading.

FWIW , higher fence and a gate would be my chosen option. Not ideal but some kids have no respect for others , or their own, property but what more can you reasonably do.

If you complain to the school or police then you will always be waiting not knowing when their "games" will begin.

Kenny

 

[Deleted96908]

Single out the leader, if there is one, and do what @Happytalk73 said and engage with him/her/them.

Not so much to get them worried as to your motives, but perhaps offer them jobs. Car wash maybe? Yard sweeping? Hedge cutting? I wouldn't go so far as to get them to guard your property, but a halfway house might do the trick. And probably cheaper than installing loads of gadgets and barriers, that might only serve to raise the dare level.

That's how I'd approach it in the first instance.


~

 

[wu56Shoozz]

^ Ha Ha...

Years ago we'd to take customers to the "fitba" as it known up here... the plan is usually to by them a meal, then go to the game and open a tab and let them get rat ar4sed ..
So there we were going to the game.. I parked not far from my mates car and waited for him to catch up on foot. A group of youngster confronted both me and my guests.. "Fiver to watch yer car Mister" one of the guests paid mine which I thought was rather generous considering.. The area was Ibrox and really rough in its time.. so my mate caught up with his guests and again said "youngsters" came over and asked him for a "fiver" to watch his car.. "F**K Off!!" he snarled... and we went to the game thinking nothing more of it...
The game ended and all were happy.. and we started closing in on our cars.. mine was fine not a mark on it... but Steve's well.. It had been up turned on its roof and restored back into position the wheels were gone (alloys) all the glass was tanned and someone had pooped on the visor of the car...
It was hard not to laugh as Steve went berserk.. running around like a headless chicken.. whilst his guests watched on.. cost us over £500 in Taxis to ferry the guests home and the company paid for it! The best bit was the recovery vehicle guy who stood and scratched his head for about 15 minutes before starting the recovery...
Incidentally the car was written off...

 

[Alex225]

Fortunately the target for the little charmers is actually my next door neighbour. Randomly a group of them threw a stone at his porch which put the glass through. The school eventually admitted it was their pupils (with a witness and CCTV footage) but rather than pay up and claim back off the family. They wanted to put the neighbours in touch with the kids family directly to get the cost covered. They declined but talk about shirk the responsibility.

The fence itself isn't so much a problem as they don't climb over it or anything, it's enough of a deterrent which I hope is what the chain will be as well. I've actually replaced that fence once as the original panels were fairly cheap and just didn't withstand even the slightest knock. I'd love a gate but again not sure it's feasible with the shared entrance unfortunately. Not sure having a massive sliding gate is an option haha.

 

[KennyN]

If it is a shared driveway between you and just one neighbour then it may be in both your interests to get a gate fitted , especially if they have had issues before.

High fence with anti vandal paint (or ink) and a gate , job jobbed.

Kenny

 

[Alex225]

Razor wire would be even better haha.

Logistically how a gate would work but I'm genuinely open to suggestion. This was the image I put up earlier in the thread but you can see where the shared drive is in comparison to the road and the neighbours.

Not sure I could have a gate that swings open that wouldn't hinder one or either of the two houses in terms of getting cars off the driveway.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Razor wire would be even better haha.

Logistically how a gate would work but I'm genuinely open to suggestion. This was the image I put up earlier in the thread but you can see where the shared drive is in comparison to the road and the neighbours.

Not sure I could have a gate that swings open that wouldn't hinder one or either of the two houses in terms of getting cars off the driveway.

I guess that you would have to halve the width and put a sliding gate up at the front end which slides back alongside a new fence the covers the rear half.

Personally, I'd be more offended by next door's lorry parked up so close.

 

[Alex225]

I guess that you would have to halve the width and put a sliding gate up at the front end which slides back alongside a new fence the covers the rear half.

Personally, I'd be more offended by next door's lorry parked up so close.

I think I follow you. It's certainly something to keep in mind, I'm just loathed to take down a fence that went up less than a year ago. I will see how the super secure chain goes haha

It's actually just a long wheelbase sprinter in that picture, he has a box van now. I'm generally fortunate with my neighbours and the owner of that property is a nice guy but a little thoughtless at times. He had a fault with the van so parked it right on the corner of my driveway where it stayed for 8 months!!! That is until the Police told him it had to be moved.

 

[wu56Shoozz]

Does the "Van" restrict your view in any way? I believe and I'm not sure its the same in Engerland but if it does, as its a commercial it can be ask to be removed. I had this with my next door neighbor that was being a cnut and parking outside my house blocking my view i.e open my blinds and I looked straight on to his van.. the police came and got it removed as it was causing an obstruction to the street, others complained job done..

 

[John]

What about two smaller gates that open right back on themselves - one at each side of the opening.

That's more like a bear than a dog.

 

[Alex225]

Does the "Van" restrict your view in any way? I believe and I'm not sure its the same in Engerland but if it does, as its a commercial it can be ask to be removed. I had this with my next door neighbor that was being a cnut and parking outside my house blocking my view i.e open my blinds and I looked straight on to his van.. the police came and got it removed as it was causing an obstruction to the street, others complained job done..

Well it does a little but not in a way that bothers me as such. It's a double edged sword as it actually hides my CLS63 from prying eyes that would otherwise see it from down the road. It's never parked outside my property though. The more annoying thing is that he modified his driveway on the cheap, took the fence down and just bumps the thing up the kerb. Although it's not a dropped kerb whenever he has visitors none of them ever park outside his house. It's bitten him in the ar$e a bit though as since a few more local kids have started going to the school, a few parents have parked outside his place. His wife went and grumbled at one of them who informed her that it wasn't a dropped kerb so they're entitled to park there. I'll let them deal with that one though haha.

 

[wu56Shoozz]

I called the police once a long time ago on a similar issue, when I stayed in another house and they're answer was:

So long as they've paid their Road Tax they can park anywhere they like - they can however be asked to move it if its parked half on half off the kerb as you're not supposed to park like that.

Was it a dividing fence i.e between yours and his? or an outer fence as in marker. If its the first then he's duty bound to replace it at his expense. This is where it gets dirty and possibly not worth the hassle.. my next door neighbor did just this with out permission, built an extension the forgot to put it back up conveniently, so when the World cup came "We played football across the two gardens, even erected goalposts in my garden" - And I wasn't to mind??? Really?? Fortunately that's long gone but that what I mean, how far do you take it..

 

[DoberMan]

You need concertina gates. You don't need a central post and they fold back on both sides in as many sections as you need to cover the width of the driveway and as high as you want.

I had some made to my spec many years ago by a local metal fabricators.

 

[Alex225]

I called the police once a long time ago on a similar issue, when I stayed in another house and they're answer was:

So long as they've paid their Road Tax they can park anywhere they like - they can however be asked to move it if its parked half on half off the kerb as you're not supposed to park like that.

Was it a dividing fence i.e between yours and his? or an outer fence as in marker. If its the first then he's duty bound to replace it at his expense. This is where it gets dirty and possibly not worth the hassle.. my next door neighbor did just this with out permission, built an extension the forgot to put it back up conveniently, so when the World cup came "We played football across the two gardens, even erected goalposts in my garden" - And I wasn't to mind??? Really?? Fortunately that's long gone but that what I mean, how far do you take it..

Yeah it's a tricky one with neighbours as you're stuck with each other so keeping the rapport up is important. I'm lucky in one respect as there is an element of community along the road. Even my 'pain in the ar$e' neighbour is largely pretty sound. Just less considerate than the others we've got.

It did come to a head with regards to fencing as when I moved in I rented the property. That neighbour took down the fence at the front and never put it back up. Also the rear fence was damaged due to ivy that ruined it. When I bought the place I got that sorted with him.

The neighbours in question though are the other side, they're the ones I share the central driveway with. I couldn't really ask for better neighbours in most respects....

You need concertina gates. You don't need a central post and they fold back on both sides in as many sections as you need to cover the width of the driveway and as high as you want.

I had some made to my spec many years ago by a local metal fabricators.View attachment 75185

Those gates are a great idea I must say, I'll definitely look into those. The only drawback I can think of is whether or not the neighbour bothers to close the gate. They're a lovely couple but he's not the most practical. Definitely something to consider though and I've not doubt the subject of my lovely chain barrier will come up in conversation when I see them so I'll hint at it.

 

[wu56Shoozz]

Electric gate? Solves the problem of closure - closes after you leave and opens when you go to enter, expensive but just a thought..?

 

[Codger49]

This would do, if you can get them in the UK. I suspect it could well be cheaper to move house though.

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