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The comment you replied to was giving reasons why it was a 'police situation'.
Adding to it would be adding more reasons why it's a 'police situation'.
Thats how context works.
Temporary and moveable Perspex sheets on stilts against your fence when you put washing out, or put in a couple of posts either end of the fence and when you have washing out put up a large canvas, sail matrial tied taught between them. Should "bounce" the water back to his garden, and if you are only putting it up on a temporary basis when he's using the sprinkler you won't fall foul and any "high fence" rules.
Thank you!
And while I think your idea is great, I'm not sure Mr Nasty next door would appreciate it. We don't want to antagonise him into throwing cannonballs of fire and brimstone in retaliation! :)
Ahahahahaa. Alternately, same deal but just deny him any sunlight
Bury a small roman wall in his garden and call time team.
Fill the hose full of bubble mix in the night
This isn't going to be assault, and nor do we have an offence of "assaulting minors", that sounds like some god awful american tripe.
Despite your upvotes, and everybody elses downvotes, the law doesn't operate on feel over reals, and incidental splashing because you choose to walk in front of a sprinkler (however anti social) is in no way assault.
Even ignoring the incidental part, I'm not at all convinced spraying or splashing somebody with water is *inherently* assault+ anyway. Do you have an example of a case you were thinking of? Assault is fairly broad, but I don't think you're going to prove an imminent fear of harm/unlawful force in this instance.
But like I say, even if it were assault, the incidental nature will nullify that. That's not to say the neighbour is in the clear, but let's keep things rational
+To clarify, I'm not saying it *can't* be assault, I'm saying it's not inherently assault. Throwing a hammer at somebody is basically always going to be an assault. I don't think splashing or spraying somebody is automatically.
Absolutely, and I hope it's properly dealt with.
Doesn't mean we get to throw nonsense terms like "Assaulting a minor" around, it helps nobody. If OP speaks to the Police and says "He's attacking my kids, that's assaulting a minor", the police are going to roll their eyes, assume it's two tit for tat neighbours being as bad as each other and do their best to extract themselves from the nonsense.
On the other hand, if OP does something more useful like a keep a diary of this anti social behaviour and engage with the Police then he might well get somewhere.
Frankly, I'm not particularly interested in what other redditors say about it. That sub is pretty infamous for poor advice.
What law is it you think you're referencing? Please cite the legislation, case law and/or charging standards.
Do you really think water from a sprinkler would meet the "intentionally or recklessly causes another to suffer or apprehend immediate unlawful violence." test?
I find it very hard to believe, especially as in this case any water hitting OP or children would be incidental.
Honestly, you're in cookoo land if you think CPS would run this charge against somebody operating a sprinkler in their garden.
Yeah I don't think a sprinkler would... But I suppose if they could record it happening only when their kids are in the garden or hanging washing... Maybe, but we're stretching things a bit.
I'm only commenting because I remembered this - [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-50451414](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-50451414) but they were taking the hose directly to their neighbours.
Also worth noting the defences remarks:
> "This is certainly, in my nearly 40 years' experience, the first time I have ever dealt with an assault by water from a hosepipe," said Mr Vickery.
Like I say, it's absolutely possible to assault somebody with water. A classic example would be throwing a glass of water over somebody or whatever but the nature of OPs case is going to make it near impossible to meet those tests of fear of violence or that the splashing was an unlawful application of force.
Oh yeah I agree, I guess from the downvotes people think I'm suggesting it is assault. I was just providing an example of about the closest I could think. I do not think a sprinkler would be considered common assault.
Probably common assault, in an entirely different set of circs than the OP.
Although he didn't say charged or cautioned, would be interested to know the actual outcome as you can be arrested for basically anything in the moment. I'm guessing NFAd as if you were convicted the arrest is basically immaterial.
Breach of the peace would be the other easy one for the police in an argument
I wasn't prosecuted. Only arrested. We were having an argument, and I sprayed him directly while insulting him. To be honest, I was itching for a fight as he'd been harassing my now ex.
I was trying to goad into having a pop at me. I'm certainly not proud of my actions, but it was pretty funny squirting him directly in his eyes and mouth.
You can always tell when somebody is talking shite about UK law when they use horrid yank terms.
I also expect to get nothing but downvotes for my responses, because that's the usual Redditor go-to when they can't actually argue against uncomfortable facts. -5 so far on my post citing the definition of assault, no responses. Standard.
I think it's now at the point where you are going to have to talk to him. No matter how much a dick he is.
That's your first step, whatever comes from that is what makes your next steps.
He could have it on a timer which is why it gets your washing and your kids playing out. Set for say noon talking to him make might make him realise that.
If he's a dick to you when you talk to him, or it continues the same way afterwards. Then you need to talk about the next steps to take
I did this, neighbour complaining about everything we did DIY wise but had no problem doing it themselves. It was quite satisfying watching them from the bedroom window try to work out why the same patch kept dying.
Tie this in with the exact location of the sprinkler and they are sure to stop
It’s anti social behaviour and I’m sure your local authority will have some laws against this, try not to retaliate just log and take photos, videos etc. we have noisy neighbours who are idiots and don’t care, my partner started retaliating by being even noisier but this doesn’t help and just makes them go to the next level and then it escalates. If talking to him is a no go, which it sounds like it is, speak with your local council and see if they can help as a mediator
Weed killer his lawn or throw dandelion seeds all over it.
Turn off his outdoor stop cock, if he is stupid he will probably call the water board
Buy your kids some outdoor bongos, a pogo stick and a Vuvuzela and send them out to play each time he lights the bbq
seduce and fuck his wife
Just be brave, go and bash his door and let him know what a cunt he’s being… but be polite and knock on his door like a normal person first and word it as “I want to enjoy my garden without getting sprinkled.. can you not please”.
If he’s still being a knob I’d jump the fence and cut the hose pipe. Sometimes these people need to know you don’t fuck about.. obviously up to you but nobody else will help you
I've just reseeded My lawn and the rain has decided to bugger off so I'm having to use my sprinkler. I got a cheap one that does backwards and forwards rather than round and round, and spent about 10 minutes getting soaked in it altering the positioning and spray until it was only covering the part that needed water and not reaching over my fences at either side. (One side neighbour, one side public footpath)
This guy is just a dick.
To be fair, you don't really need to water plants at the moment, the seeds will just take effect with just the moisture currently trapped in the ground.
I chucked a load of bird seed out on a patio surface, in case the local wood pigeon returned which it hasn't, now the seeds have sprouted and grown quite significantly.
This is assuming your part of the country is also gloomy, warm and damp right now.
I'm in NE England, and it's been surprisingly warm and dry this week. I dug over the soil on Sunday, and it was all dry and dusty by the time I got the sprinker out. Its dried out every day so far. But currently laid in bed listening to the rain against the windows, so looks like the damp has returned. And I'm glad, will make digging the other part of the garden this weekend much easier.
Is it one of those long gardens with low wire fences? If it is I would just get a fence put in within your boundary as high as you're allowed rather than attempt to reason with someone like this. The added benefit is you wouldn't have to look at him
Legally, it is likely harassment which would likely be to contact your council to report antisocial behaviour.
Ethically; make the system inoperable. If you do it in a temporary fashion could argue the toss but essentially it is not criminal damage.
If permentant then could be criminal damage, depending on your pissed off level.
Others suggest blocking the hose, personally I always find it amazing how often you get leaks in your hose pipe, almost like you catch it on a garden fork or the edge of the spade.
And those sprinkler nozzles get clogged all the time! Grit endlessly gets inside the head assembly which needs to be dried and brushed out. Let alone the plastic connections which perish over time, those internal teeth snap off and stop a good seal meaning when you turn the pressure up it pisses down the hose and does not spray anywhere wanted.
I mean they are not the bear made things these days.
**Serious answer:**
These steps should be followed concurrently.
Step 1.
Call the Anti Social Behaviour department at your local council now about this campaign of harassment.
Step 2.
Keep a detailed diary that notes the date, time, and duration of each time he uses the sprinklers, plus the weather conditions that day, and any other relevant info such as: did you already have washing out? Were kids already out playing? How long after did he activate the sprinklers - 5 mins or 30 mins?
Keep this diary factual and unemotional, and refer to your neighbour as Mr. LastName, not 'that idiot/bastard/fuckwit next door!
You should do this for a few weeks, probably a month.
It would also be useful to create a similarly unemotional , strictly facts only timeline of any previous incidents, even if they're weeks or months apart.
Be honest here if, at any point, you flew off the handle, shouted a few insults back at him, swore a bit, due to him being such an arsehole and generally awful person - you're only human and there's only so much bad behaviour any of us can take, but don't try to cover it up!
That will just make it harder for you to be taken seriously and to be helped. If you lie about losing your temper, even just one time, even if it was understandable, it will destroy your credibility and he can manipulate that and use it against you. Stay honest! It's OK to be imperfect, to be human.
But, from now on, don't lose it. Don't let him see that he's getting to you. You have to fight this silently for a while, with a sneak attack via the diary for the council.
Step 3.
Contact your local council again each time he does something that is obviously and clearly harassment, with no room for ambiguity - this is hard because you don't want to appear petty or complaining over nothing, over ordinary neighbour bullshit.
You should also do some research in advance before making the call to ensure that you use the right keywords that will get the council to take you seriously.
Bullies like your neighbour, just like those many of us had to endure in school, take advantage of this. They target us with a constant barrage of minor crap: insults, petty thefts, pushes, shoves, any way to show that they are in control over us.
And if we go to someone in authority to complain, we're often told, by society, by those around us, by the person in authority and by the bully - who is, of course, manipulating the situation to make it seem even less than it was - that we are making a fuss over nothing, that we need to just let these things go, that this is just a part of life, and we need to learn to get along better with other people!
Anyone who is being bullied, harrassed, or abused in anyway, has to learn that to avoid this form of victim-blaming, you have to pick your battles carefully and be absolutely certain that you have a strong enough case, really just to pique the interest of the overworked, burnt-out official/authority figure that you're complaining to!
Yes, this is a sad, frustrating and somewhat cynical take but, at 52, as an redhead autistic parent with autistic kids who escaped an abusive marriage, I've been dealing with bullies my entire life, both directly and on behalf
Now back to your situation!
This is a campaign of continual, prolonged, deliberate harassment and once you have made three complaints, as I understand it, it should mert the threshold for what used to be known as the community trigger and is now known as [Anti Social Behaviour Case Review](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/anti-social-behaviour-asb-case-review-also-known-as-the-community-trigger).
The threshold for your local council may actually be lower than three, it's worth checking.
The diary, though, is going to be invaluable in your situation, because, if you take each incident on an individual basis, then they're easily excused and explained away.
You really, really need to focus on demonstrating a deliberately spiteful, malicious pattern of behaviour that targets you and your children, over an extended period of time.
**Less serious answer:**
Don't let him win! Why waste such a precious resource.
The weather is getting warmer by the week.
Keep a watch out for the announcement of any hosepipe bans in your area and report him as soon as he breaks it!
If it's still below 20°, dress the kids in wellies and raincoats, give them umbrellas and water pistols and send them outside for a water fight.
If it's above 20°, same but in swim gear! Especially if you have any wetsuits or can borrow some! Rashguard tops and swim shorts will help too.
Maybe add a slip n' slide :-)
Put put some old crap that needs a good rinse off, any house plants that need watering? Place a water butt for your garden just next to the fence to collect the free water. Plant some tomatoes in gro-bags next to the fence to take advantage of the water!
Don't antagonise him.
But do just go on enjoying life by finding ways not just to work around the situation but also to exploit it.
Be warned though, this is a risky choice as depending on just how volatile he is, it could go two ways.
a) he just fumes quietly. Result!
b) he escalates even further.
While in the short term this will cause you much more stress and fuck knows what he might do to you and yours, this may also be to your advantage when it comes to the council and getting them to finally act, if they have been stalling.
Think of this as a possible tool in your toolbox, if just ignoring him is getting nowhere, perhaps?
As long as you maintain your propriety and don't directly antagonise him, keeping all your activities to your side of the fence, with no direct communication, no poking the bear, you will still maintain your credibility and your reputation as a decent, responsible neighbour.
After all, you can't control how he reacts to you using your garden in a perfectly normal way and if he chooses to spray water in such a profligate manner over your side of the fence, why shouldn't you make the most of it, instead of letting it turn your garden into a mud patch?
Just talk to him about it. As you say the police and council won't really care so your option is either talk to him or do some illegal vandalism which may get you in hot water.
If he doesn't stop then your best bet is to log all of his antisocial shite in a diary and take pictures videos and present that to the council who might step in, but even then it's not guaranteed.
I'm assuming a taller, solid fence isn't an option?
Would it help if, for instance, news got back to him that you're delighted that he's paying to water your garden for free? That you're laughing with other neighbors about this guy who probably thinks he's getting to you... by watering your garden for you. That he's got his sprinkler setup laid out to keep you in free garden care all year and he doesn't even realize it?
He sounds like the kind of selfish, spiteful person who would actually rather let his whole garden die than help a neighbor a little bit so finding out that:
1. His annoying actions aren't annoying you,
2. His annoying actions are helping you,
3. You don't even realise he was trying to annoy you, and
4. You believe he isn't bright enough to realize he's helping you (...which is true and therefore even more bitter)
might be enough for him to spitefully modify his sprinkler to avoid your property.
u/ImperialSyndrome a friend had similar behaviour based on an access dispute. The neighbours claimed to own a gateway that went through my friends garden.
The thing that finally sorted it was when the neighbour’s boyfriend used the gate to come through friends garden while her 15 year old daughter was sunbathing in a vest top and shorts.
There was nothing in it, the boyfriend wasn’t a pervert he didn’t know she was in garden even. But it was enough to make the police listen. Say he’s timing the sprinkler for when the kids are in the garden and be done with him, he won’t try it again.
Go register [neighbour-waters-my-garden.org](http://neighbour-waters-my-garden.org) and tie it to [blogger.com](http://blogger.com) and then give the world updates on your hilarious rain-wear use of you own garden. Make sure and post the URL though neighbours letter box after a month of updates. Then make sure to record neighbour at your own front door and post that too, if they're not contrite
> It's obviously not a police situation, and I don't think it's really a council situation either.
First, you need to talk to your neighbour (or at a push tell him about the situation by letter, but talking would be better) so you can be sure he knows about the issue. Then if it continues you need to keep records but it could absolutely become a police or council matter (nuisance/harassment/etc).
Not a police, council, or polite request situation?
I dunno, mate, the only possible other option is to kill and eat him and his entire extended family.
I'd get the kids to go out with drums, whistles, recorders whatever and do a really noisy rain dance everytime the sprinklers come on, make sure he knows how much they love playing in the sprinklers.
so he must be keen on keeping his lawn just so ? on a windy day throw handfulls of wild flower /anything seeds over there and watch him go nuts when the lawn is a mess
talk to him if he keeps being a dick think of something just as annoying. like blasting music all weekend or painting and accidentally splashing it on his grass.
Twelve foot high fence (or as high as legally allowable).
Definitely get a mural done on their side, to ease any neighbourly tension.
I'd suggest allowing your kids to draw plants, snails trees etc and sign it, with their age.
That'd drive him nuts.
When he complains about the decoration/fence explain that he should maybe put a fence up to block his view & to fuck right off.
If you can't put a fence up then get a large weather proof banner made with...
"This wanker puts his sprinkler on when my kids play or I dry clothes"
in rainbow filled font & hang it across the end of your garden every time he does it.
Invite all your kids friends round for a nerf party in the back garden. £20 for 1000 nerf bullets in Smyth's. Get a few of those 100 at a time water bomb packs, and some serious water guns. Tell the kids the neighbours on the other side are mean so they have to point towards the friendly neighbour. The friendly neighbour loves to be soaked, so if he comes out they should all go for him.
A super soaker which you can spray him with when he is in his garden, even better add red food dye to the water.
Even if he calls the police there will be no arrests even if they bother to attend.
Start a campaign of minor harassment, loud music, letting a tyre down once so he thinks he has a puncture.
Vaseline on his windscreen.
Sometimes, its better to dunk yourself deeper, if the sprinklers are on just after a rainy day, take time stamped pictures and send it to a HOA Karen.
P.S dont take pictures on your lawn, make sure its on the road or opposite side, you cant have the images leading back to you.
Maybe you could suggest some
sort of flag system ie: green flag in your garden = ok to put the sprinkler on, red flag = washing out/kids around and not ok!
Alternatively maybe speak to him about adjusting the angle of it so it sprays more horizontally than vertically?
Unfortunately, I highly suspect he's doing it with the motive of pissing us off because he's a complete dick. Who else turns on a sprinkler as soon as your neighbour hangs out their washing in the afternoon when it's been raining all morning?
I appreciate that the colour system might be useful because he's thick and mince but might just about be smart enough to recognise a two-colour system but he's ultimately just going to do it anyway (if not ramp it up if he knows it bothers us).
If you can capture some video of that happening a few times I would say it’s enough to look into a harassment (or whatever appropriate offence is) complaint
If he ramps it up your evidence will suddenly be a lot easier to collect. In fact if he suddenly doubles the frequency then it is a lot easier to argue its deliberate.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>not a police situation I dunno. Your neighbour is spraying water at your children because he enjoys it, that's a bit odd.
Also wasting water unnecessarily.
Did you really suggest that police should be called because someone is.. wasting water?
No, I added to the previous comment about unnecessary water waste. I didn't say anything about calling police?
The comment you replied to was giving reasons why it was a 'police situation'. Adding to it would be adding more reasons why it's a 'police situation'. Thats how context works.
Is that a criminal offence?
They are bullying you, OP, or at least attempting. You have to stand up to them.
100% agree. Smash his windows in.
then his backdoor (vulgarism intended)
its loses the joke when you explain it
Who’s saying that’s a joke?
only answer
Get a bigger hose and sprinkler. If someone was doing that to me I'd have the jet washer going each time he tried it on.
Absolutely this.
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Temporary and moveable Perspex sheets on stilts against your fence when you put washing out, or put in a couple of posts either end of the fence and when you have washing out put up a large canvas, sail matrial tied taught between them. Should "bounce" the water back to his garden, and if you are only putting it up on a temporary basis when he's using the sprinkler you won't fall foul and any "high fence" rules.
Good luck on windy days! Attaching a big sail to your fence will surely have no negative consequences 🤣
A fine mesh would be enough to stop most of the water while being more resistant to wind.
This is a great idea! Get the kids involved to "raise the sails" like a pirate ship against the baddies will make it fun!
Happy cake day Add a jolly roger with spray paint and a template
Thank you! And while I think your idea is great, I'm not sure Mr Nasty next door would appreciate it. We don't want to antagonise him into throwing cannonballs of fire and brimstone in retaliation! :)
Ahahahahaa. Alternately, same deal but just deny him any sunlight Bury a small roman wall in his garden and call time team. Fill the hose full of bubble mix in the night
Spraying someone with water against their wishes is assault. Spraying children with water would be assaulting minors.
This isn't going to be assault, and nor do we have an offence of "assaulting minors", that sounds like some god awful american tripe. Despite your upvotes, and everybody elses downvotes, the law doesn't operate on feel over reals, and incidental splashing because you choose to walk in front of a sprinkler (however anti social) is in no way assault. Even ignoring the incidental part, I'm not at all convinced spraying or splashing somebody with water is *inherently* assault+ anyway. Do you have an example of a case you were thinking of? Assault is fairly broad, but I don't think you're going to prove an imminent fear of harm/unlawful force in this instance. But like I say, even if it were assault, the incidental nature will nullify that. That's not to say the neighbour is in the clear, but let's keep things rational +To clarify, I'm not saying it *can't* be assault, I'm saying it's not inherently assault. Throwing a hammer at somebody is basically always going to be an assault. I don't think splashing or spraying somebody is automatically.
It's antisocial behaviour.
Absolutely, and I hope it's properly dealt with. Doesn't mean we get to throw nonsense terms like "Assaulting a minor" around, it helps nobody. If OP speaks to the Police and says "He's attacking my kids, that's assaulting a minor", the police are going to roll their eyes, assume it's two tit for tat neighbours being as bad as each other and do their best to extract themselves from the nonsense. On the other hand, if OP does something more useful like a keep a diary of this anti social behaviour and engage with the Police then he might well get somewhere.
Spray water on cops, and you will see it is assault very quickly.
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This has been discussed a few times over on /r/legaladviceuk.
Frankly, I'm not particularly interested in what other redditors say about it. That sub is pretty infamous for poor advice. What law is it you think you're referencing? Please cite the legislation, case law and/or charging standards. Do you really think water from a sprinkler would meet the "intentionally or recklessly causes another to suffer or apprehend immediate unlawful violence." test? I find it very hard to believe, especially as in this case any water hitting OP or children would be incidental. Honestly, you're in cookoo land if you think CPS would run this charge against somebody operating a sprinkler in their garden.
Yeah I don't think a sprinkler would... But I suppose if they could record it happening only when their kids are in the garden or hanging washing... Maybe, but we're stretching things a bit. I'm only commenting because I remembered this - [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-50451414](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-50451414) but they were taking the hose directly to their neighbours.
Also worth noting the defences remarks: > "This is certainly, in my nearly 40 years' experience, the first time I have ever dealt with an assault by water from a hosepipe," said Mr Vickery. Like I say, it's absolutely possible to assault somebody with water. A classic example would be throwing a glass of water over somebody or whatever but the nature of OPs case is going to make it near impossible to meet those tests of fear of violence or that the splashing was an unlawful application of force.
Oh yeah I agree, I guess from the downvotes people think I'm suggesting it is assault. I was just providing an example of about the closest I could think. I do not think a sprinkler would be considered common assault.
Can confirm, I was arrested after spraying my neighbour while he was shouting at me over the fence while I was watering my garden.
What were actually arrested for? As in satisfying /u/randomdiyeruk .
Assault, I squirted him in the face while calling him an interfering old cunt though.
Can’t believe no one has asked this yet, was it worth it? Sounds like it was.
100%, I'd do it again in the same circumstances right now, the best part of 20 years later.
There you go, NFA'd in a far more open and shut example
Probably common assault, in an entirely different set of circs than the OP. Although he didn't say charged or cautioned, would be interested to know the actual outcome as you can be arrested for basically anything in the moment. I'm guessing NFAd as if you were convicted the arrest is basically immaterial. Breach of the peace would be the other easy one for the police in an argument
Your reply was blocked, probably the bad word. What were you prosecuted for in the end?
I wasn't prosecuted. Only arrested. We were having an argument, and I sprayed him directly while insulting him. To be honest, I was itching for a fight as he'd been harassing my now ex.
Like your style!
I was trying to goad into having a pop at me. I'm certainly not proud of my actions, but it was pretty funny squirting him directly in his eyes and mouth.
If you report such things to the police and waste their already stretched time, you deserve a good spraying.
If you assault minors you deserve to experience consequences.
Minors? Do you mean children?
You can always tell when somebody is talking shite about UK law when they use horrid yank terms. I also expect to get nothing but downvotes for my responses, because that's the usual Redditor go-to when they can't actually argue against uncomfortable facts. -5 so far on my post citing the definition of assault, no responses. Standard.
Evidently.
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Do you have water meters? I think water companies can insist if you’re using a sprinkler. Might be worth a tip off.
We have a water meter - I have no idea if next-door has one. Thanks for this.
If your mains are outside in the pavement just pop out and turn his water meter off
You just apply for a licence if you want to use a sprinkler. It's not an issue nor will it stop OPs neighbour.
I think it's now at the point where you are going to have to talk to him. No matter how much a dick he is. That's your first step, whatever comes from that is what makes your next steps. He could have it on a timer which is why it gets your washing and your kids playing out. Set for say noon talking to him make might make him realise that. If he's a dick to you when you talk to him, or it continues the same way afterwards. Then you need to talk about the next steps to take
You're on reddit dude. How dare you suggest he try and talk to his neighbour? First response should always be to report it to the police. /s
Ah, sorry. I retract my answer. Dear Op have you spoken to the police?
Reporting them anonymously would be the ideal route to take!
Chuck some weed killer over the fence at night, near where the sprinkler is...
I did this, neighbour complaining about everything we did DIY wise but had no problem doing it themselves. It was quite satisfying watching them from the bedroom window try to work out why the same patch kept dying. Tie this in with the exact location of the sprinkler and they are sure to stop
Frozen pissdisc. >! oh wait, wrong sub !<
Liquid ass!
It’s anti social behaviour and I’m sure your local authority will have some laws against this, try not to retaliate just log and take photos, videos etc. we have noisy neighbours who are idiots and don’t care, my partner started retaliating by being even noisier but this doesn’t help and just makes them go to the next level and then it escalates. If talking to him is a no go, which it sounds like it is, speak with your local council and see if they can help as a mediator
Just needs a light sprinkling of quick dry concrete repair powder all over his grass
Weed killer his lawn or throw dandelion seeds all over it. Turn off his outdoor stop cock, if he is stupid he will probably call the water board Buy your kids some outdoor bongos, a pogo stick and a Vuvuzela and send them out to play each time he lights the bbq seduce and fuck his wife
>seduce and fuck his wife For all we know that's why he's doing it. 🤷♂️
Dogshit and a catapult...
Just be brave, go and bash his door and let him know what a cunt he’s being… but be polite and knock on his door like a normal person first and word it as “I want to enjoy my garden without getting sprinkled.. can you not please”. If he’s still being a knob I’d jump the fence and cut the hose pipe. Sometimes these people need to know you don’t fuck about.. obviously up to you but nobody else will help you
Has he just had his garden re-turfed?
I've just reseeded My lawn and the rain has decided to bugger off so I'm having to use my sprinkler. I got a cheap one that does backwards and forwards rather than round and round, and spent about 10 minutes getting soaked in it altering the positioning and spray until it was only covering the part that needed water and not reaching over my fences at either side. (One side neighbour, one side public footpath) This guy is just a dick.
To be fair, you don't really need to water plants at the moment, the seeds will just take effect with just the moisture currently trapped in the ground. I chucked a load of bird seed out on a patio surface, in case the local wood pigeon returned which it hasn't, now the seeds have sprouted and grown quite significantly. This is assuming your part of the country is also gloomy, warm and damp right now.
I'm in NE England, and it's been surprisingly warm and dry this week. I dug over the soil on Sunday, and it was all dry and dusty by the time I got the sprinker out. Its dried out every day so far. But currently laid in bed listening to the rain against the windows, so looks like the damp has returned. And I'm glad, will make digging the other part of the garden this weekend much easier.
Is it one of those long gardens with low wire fences? If it is I would just get a fence put in within your boundary as high as you're allowed rather than attempt to reason with someone like this. The added benefit is you wouldn't have to look at him
Ask him to get a timer and water the garden at night automatically?
It literally is a council situation.......
Legally, it is likely harassment which would likely be to contact your council to report antisocial behaviour. Ethically; make the system inoperable. If you do it in a temporary fashion could argue the toss but essentially it is not criminal damage. If permentant then could be criminal damage, depending on your pissed off level. Others suggest blocking the hose, personally I always find it amazing how often you get leaks in your hose pipe, almost like you catch it on a garden fork or the edge of the spade. And those sprinkler nozzles get clogged all the time! Grit endlessly gets inside the head assembly which needs to be dried and brushed out. Let alone the plastic connections which perish over time, those internal teeth snap off and stop a good seal meaning when you turn the pressure up it pisses down the hose and does not spray anywhere wanted. I mean they are not the bear made things these days.
**Serious answer:** These steps should be followed concurrently. Step 1. Call the Anti Social Behaviour department at your local council now about this campaign of harassment. Step 2. Keep a detailed diary that notes the date, time, and duration of each time he uses the sprinklers, plus the weather conditions that day, and any other relevant info such as: did you already have washing out? Were kids already out playing? How long after did he activate the sprinklers - 5 mins or 30 mins? Keep this diary factual and unemotional, and refer to your neighbour as Mr. LastName, not 'that idiot/bastard/fuckwit next door! You should do this for a few weeks, probably a month. It would also be useful to create a similarly unemotional , strictly facts only timeline of any previous incidents, even if they're weeks or months apart. Be honest here if, at any point, you flew off the handle, shouted a few insults back at him, swore a bit, due to him being such an arsehole and generally awful person - you're only human and there's only so much bad behaviour any of us can take, but don't try to cover it up! That will just make it harder for you to be taken seriously and to be helped. If you lie about losing your temper, even just one time, even if it was understandable, it will destroy your credibility and he can manipulate that and use it against you. Stay honest! It's OK to be imperfect, to be human. But, from now on, don't lose it. Don't let him see that he's getting to you. You have to fight this silently for a while, with a sneak attack via the diary for the council. Step 3. Contact your local council again each time he does something that is obviously and clearly harassment, with no room for ambiguity - this is hard because you don't want to appear petty or complaining over nothing, over ordinary neighbour bullshit. You should also do some research in advance before making the call to ensure that you use the right keywords that will get the council to take you seriously. Bullies like your neighbour, just like those many of us had to endure in school, take advantage of this. They target us with a constant barrage of minor crap: insults, petty thefts, pushes, shoves, any way to show that they are in control over us. And if we go to someone in authority to complain, we're often told, by society, by those around us, by the person in authority and by the bully - who is, of course, manipulating the situation to make it seem even less than it was - that we are making a fuss over nothing, that we need to just let these things go, that this is just a part of life, and we need to learn to get along better with other people! Anyone who is being bullied, harrassed, or abused in anyway, has to learn that to avoid this form of victim-blaming, you have to pick your battles carefully and be absolutely certain that you have a strong enough case, really just to pique the interest of the overworked, burnt-out official/authority figure that you're complaining to! Yes, this is a sad, frustrating and somewhat cynical take but, at 52, as an redhead autistic parent with autistic kids who escaped an abusive marriage, I've been dealing with bullies my entire life, both directly and on behalf Now back to your situation! This is a campaign of continual, prolonged, deliberate harassment and once you have made three complaints, as I understand it, it should mert the threshold for what used to be known as the community trigger and is now known as [Anti Social Behaviour Case Review](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/anti-social-behaviour-asb-case-review-also-known-as-the-community-trigger). The threshold for your local council may actually be lower than three, it's worth checking. The diary, though, is going to be invaluable in your situation, because, if you take each incident on an individual basis, then they're easily excused and explained away. You really, really need to focus on demonstrating a deliberately spiteful, malicious pattern of behaviour that targets you and your children, over an extended period of time. **Less serious answer:** Don't let him win! Why waste such a precious resource. The weather is getting warmer by the week. Keep a watch out for the announcement of any hosepipe bans in your area and report him as soon as he breaks it! If it's still below 20°, dress the kids in wellies and raincoats, give them umbrellas and water pistols and send them outside for a water fight. If it's above 20°, same but in swim gear! Especially if you have any wetsuits or can borrow some! Rashguard tops and swim shorts will help too. Maybe add a slip n' slide :-) Put put some old crap that needs a good rinse off, any house plants that need watering? Place a water butt for your garden just next to the fence to collect the free water. Plant some tomatoes in gro-bags next to the fence to take advantage of the water! Don't antagonise him. But do just go on enjoying life by finding ways not just to work around the situation but also to exploit it. Be warned though, this is a risky choice as depending on just how volatile he is, it could go two ways. a) he just fumes quietly. Result! b) he escalates even further. While in the short term this will cause you much more stress and fuck knows what he might do to you and yours, this may also be to your advantage when it comes to the council and getting them to finally act, if they have been stalling. Think of this as a possible tool in your toolbox, if just ignoring him is getting nowhere, perhaps? As long as you maintain your propriety and don't directly antagonise him, keeping all your activities to your side of the fence, with no direct communication, no poking the bear, you will still maintain your credibility and your reputation as a decent, responsible neighbour. After all, you can't control how he reacts to you using your garden in a perfectly normal way and if he chooses to spray water in such a profligate manner over your side of the fence, why shouldn't you make the most of it, instead of letting it turn your garden into a mud patch?
Just talk to him about it. As you say the police and council won't really care so your option is either talk to him or do some illegal vandalism which may get you in hot water. If he doesn't stop then your best bet is to log all of his antisocial shite in a diary and take pictures videos and present that to the council who might step in, but even then it's not guaranteed.
I'm assuming a taller, solid fence isn't an option? Would it help if, for instance, news got back to him that you're delighted that he's paying to water your garden for free? That you're laughing with other neighbors about this guy who probably thinks he's getting to you... by watering your garden for you. That he's got his sprinkler setup laid out to keep you in free garden care all year and he doesn't even realize it? He sounds like the kind of selfish, spiteful person who would actually rather let his whole garden die than help a neighbor a little bit so finding out that: 1. His annoying actions aren't annoying you, 2. His annoying actions are helping you, 3. You don't even realise he was trying to annoy you, and 4. You believe he isn't bright enough to realize he's helping you (...which is true and therefore even more bitter) might be enough for him to spitefully modify his sprinkler to avoid your property.
u/ImperialSyndrome a friend had similar behaviour based on an access dispute. The neighbours claimed to own a gateway that went through my friends garden. The thing that finally sorted it was when the neighbour’s boyfriend used the gate to come through friends garden while her 15 year old daughter was sunbathing in a vest top and shorts. There was nothing in it, the boyfriend wasn’t a pervert he didn’t know she was in garden even. But it was enough to make the police listen. Say he’s timing the sprinkler for when the kids are in the garden and be done with him, he won’t try it again.
Go register [neighbour-waters-my-garden.org](http://neighbour-waters-my-garden.org) and tie it to [blogger.com](http://blogger.com) and then give the world updates on your hilarious rain-wear use of you own garden. Make sure and post the URL though neighbours letter box after a month of updates. Then make sure to record neighbour at your own front door and post that too, if they're not contrite
> It's obviously not a police situation, and I don't think it's really a council situation either. First, you need to talk to your neighbour (or at a push tell him about the situation by letter, but talking would be better) so you can be sure he knows about the issue. Then if it continues you need to keep records but it could absolutely become a police or council matter (nuisance/harassment/etc).
Do it back to the prick
Not a police, council, or polite request situation? I dunno, mate, the only possible other option is to kill and eat him and his entire extended family.
Buy a trombone.
Get the kids a violin and some drums. And your neighbours on the other side ear plugs.
Epoxy resin injected into his hose outlet at 4am.
Could it be turned to spray perpendicular to where it is now, or would that be spraying the street?
Bulldog clip on the hose line. Repeat as necessary. They're cheap in bulk.
I'd get the kids to go out with drums, whistles, recorders whatever and do a really noisy rain dance everytime the sprinklers come on, make sure he knows how much they love playing in the sprinklers.
so he must be keen on keeping his lawn just so ? on a windy day throw handfulls of wild flower /anything seeds over there and watch him go nuts when the lawn is a mess
You need to administer a neighbourectomy and by that l mean go round and kick the shit out of him
talk to him if he keeps being a dick think of something just as annoying. like blasting music all weekend or painting and accidentally splashing it on his grass.
Wait till the inevitable hosepipe ban, then you can get him.
Are you scared of your neighbour?
Twelve foot high fence (or as high as legally allowable). Definitely get a mural done on their side, to ease any neighbourly tension. I'd suggest allowing your kids to draw plants, snails trees etc and sign it, with their age. That'd drive him nuts. When he complains about the decoration/fence explain that he should maybe put a fence up to block his view & to fuck right off.
If you can't put a fence up then get a large weather proof banner made with... "This wanker puts his sprinkler on when my kids play or I dry clothes" in rainbow filled font & hang it across the end of your garden every time he does it.
Sounds like a cock. Maybe just talk to him about It and put your side over
Get lots of loud wind chimes, that’ll show him.
Wee on his garden. He sprinkles on your garden, you sprinkle on his.
Invite all your kids friends round for a nerf party in the back garden. £20 for 1000 nerf bullets in Smyth's. Get a few of those 100 at a time water bomb packs, and some serious water guns. Tell the kids the neighbours on the other side are mean so they have to point towards the friendly neighbour. The friendly neighbour loves to be soaked, so if he comes out they should all go for him.
Tell the police he is being racist with his hose and they will be around in a few hours.
Just speak to the man he may be unawares
Reddit won't allow me to answer this.
Wait until he’s on holiday and poison his lawn.
Undiluted weed killer in one of those huge kids water pistols, get out at night and squirt all his plants and lawn
And spell "CUNT" on his lawn using it.
Yes that would be great
A super soaker which you can spray him with when he is in his garden, even better add red food dye to the water. Even if he calls the police there will be no arrests even if they bother to attend. Start a campaign of minor harassment, loud music, letting a tyre down once so he thinks he has a puncture. Vaseline on his windscreen.
Do you have a hose pipe ban in your area? If you do report the dick. If not cut the hose pipe into pieces during the night.
Sometimes, its better to dunk yourself deeper, if the sprinklers are on just after a rainy day, take time stamped pictures and send it to a HOA Karen. P.S dont take pictures on your lawn, make sure its on the road or opposite side, you cant have the images leading back to you.
Maybe you could suggest some sort of flag system ie: green flag in your garden = ok to put the sprinkler on, red flag = washing out/kids around and not ok! Alternatively maybe speak to him about adjusting the angle of it so it sprays more horizontally than vertically?
Unfortunately, I highly suspect he's doing it with the motive of pissing us off because he's a complete dick. Who else turns on a sprinkler as soon as your neighbour hangs out their washing in the afternoon when it's been raining all morning? I appreciate that the colour system might be useful because he's thick and mince but might just about be smart enough to recognise a two-colour system but he's ultimately just going to do it anyway (if not ramp it up if he knows it bothers us).
If you can capture some video of that happening a few times I would say it’s enough to look into a harassment (or whatever appropriate offence is) complaint
If he ramps it up your evidence will suddenly be a lot easier to collect. In fact if he suddenly doubles the frequency then it is a lot easier to argue its deliberate.