Next door's grandkids playing football on our garden !

[lainiej]

Our front garden is shared and when the boys are staying at their grandparents they play football all day til 8.30 (last night anyway). The constant bang bang bang of the ball is really doing our heads in. Not to mention the grass will be ruined.

What can we do without falling out with neighbours ?

[WendyS]

Short of putting up one of these plastic chain-link fences to show the dividing line and telling them that your side of the fence is out of bounds, I suspect there's very little you can do, apart from having a quiet word with your neighbours telling them how annoying you are finding it and asking them if they can find a more quiet way of occupying their grandchildren, preferably in a local park.

[nuoyg]

I think if it was me I'd have a quiet chat and say you understand that the kids are young and want to have a bit of a laugh outside with the football, but would there be any chance they could keep to their ''half'' more - just explain you don't want to fall out or cause bad feeling but it's just been on your mind.

[agent4]

We have gang of kids that sit on our wall of a evening eating chips and leaving rubbish behind when the go home ABOUT 11ISH. I went out one evening to them and told them that i dont mins them sitting on the wall if they could just pick up behind them. To my suprise i went out today and all the litter was in my bin.

[WoWo]

Follow agent4's example and compromise, people are much more willing to give a little if you do also. Just suggest to your neighbours that Football to until 8:30 is a little excesive and if they could maybe just play until 4:30 it would be better all round.

In many cases people just don't realise that they might be disturbing somebody else and a word in their direct can work wonders.

[lainiej]

Thanks very much everyone. I'll bear your suggestions in mind. Thankfully theyre not there today. Theyre actually very nice kids and always say hello. I'm probably just being a right old narky pants !! x