Footballs into neighbours field / Refusing to return them !

[dinkydonk]

Hi,

My 10 year old son plays football in our garden in the UK that neighbours a field.

Occasionally and accidentally a ball will go over our fence into the field. In the past I have simply climbed over the fence and retrieved the ball but the people who now have the lease on the field have told me I cannot do that now as they have two horses in the field.

Furthermore they are now picking up and keeping the footballs and refusing to give them back. I have asked politely twice, been subjected to some foul and abusive language as well as hand gestures and I have also sent messages requesting the return of our property via Facebook.

They have no intention of communicating or returning the property, my son is very upset, he's lost three footballs now and doesn't want to play in the garden in case another accidentally goes over and they steal another.

So I'm now at a loss with that to do. It seems silly to make a complaint to the police over footballs, but then I believe it is theft, I also don't know if I can use the small claims court to recover the value of the stolen property, but again, seems really silly over something so trivial.

At the moment, I've stopped my son playing football in the garden.

I don't really understand my rights and what the right course of action is when the people am I dealing with are abusive and unreasonable.

So if anyone can suggest some guidance or advice that would be amazing.

[echat11]

Speak to your local councillor, explain the situation as above.
I have no doubt they will resolve this for you.

[des8]

Erect a large tall net along the boundary to stop the ball leaving your property.

Going legal could open a can of worms (trespass) and become hideously expensive.

[echat11]

Make sure any prevention methods are safe i.e. take weather into consideration etc. You don't want the horses to take fright and give them something to create conflict.

[dinkydonk]

Do I have not have any legal grounds here. I have them on CCTV taking the balls and putting them in a shed, then later when it's dark and they think no one is looking, placing them in a different location in the field, near their own CCTV as I think they are hoping I'll trespass and they will catch me.

I've got them sticking fingers at me and my 10 year old son as they walk away with the balls.

Can I not file a small county court claim for the value of the balls and possibly get some expenses back due to their unreasonable and illegal behaviour ?

[des8]

You could initiate a county court claim for the value of the balls,
However the value of the balls is presumably minimal, so is it worthwhile?

You could also report the matter to the police as theft, (altho' they may not take any action, categorizing it as a civil matter)

The reaction to either of these steps could be an escalation.
Your neighbours might apply for an injunction to stop the entry of the balls into their property. Breach of such an injunction (if granted) could be considered contempt of court with serious consequence.

Really, IMO, you should be looking at ways to prevent the balls going over the boundary.

[echat11]

Find your local PCO, speak to them, see what they can do.

[atticus]

Do I have not have any legal grounds here. I have them on CCTV taking the balls and putting them in a shed, then later when it's dark and they think no one is looking, placing them in a different location in the field, near their own CCTV as I think they are hoping I'll trespass and they will catch me.

I've got them sticking fingers at me and my 10 year old son as they walk away with the balls.

Can I not file a small county court claim for the value of the balls and possibly get some expenses back due to their unreasonable and illegal behaviour ?

of course you could, but will the resulting escalation in unneighbourly behaviour be worth it?

NB the fact that you can file a claim does not mean that you will win.

[dinkydonk]

Ok, so I have now reported the theft of the footballs to the police and more have been stolen since. My 6 year old and 10 year old have also been subjected to foul and abusive hands gestures and language.

Then someone reported them to the council, which they think is me, so they have planted 6 trees right up against my garden fence on their leased land, all about 10ft tall. Designed to ruin our view and potentially devalue our property.

I've since been approached by four other neighbours who'd all had run in's with these people and one admitted they had reported them to the council.

My next door neighbour is in the process of selling his home and he's concerned people will pull out if they find out about these nasty people.

The land owner said he would deal with it and is now ghosting me, apparently he collects the rent cash in hadn't every 3-6 months and is very unlikely to have paid any tax on this income.

The police have allocated a crime report and are sending a local neighbourhood police officer over at some stage and I've reported the trees to the council under the high hedges act.

I guess I have to put my faith in the council and the police? Is there any advice anyone would give over more action I can take?

Thank you

[echat11]

You really need to await to see what they say.

[dinkydonk]

The council have investigated and found that they did require planning permission for multiple things - car park, erection of chicken coupes, horse stables, muck heap and change of use form agricultural land to equestrian. They have given them 28 days to retrospectively apply for planning permission or turn it back to how it was.

Still nothing from the police on the footballs yet.

[echat11]

The council have investigated and found that they did require planning permission for multiple things - car park, erection of chicken coupes, horse stables, muck heap and change of use form agricultural land to equestrian. They have given them 28 days to retrospectively apply for planning permission or turn it back to how it was.

Still nothing from the police on the footballs yet.

Progress of sorts, I doubt they will be bothering you again, they should of simply handed the footballs over.
I don't know if you have grounds to object to the planning or if you are minded to do that.

[dinkydonk]

Progress of sorts, I doubt they will be bothering you again, they should of simply handed the footballs over.
I don't know if you have grounds to object to the planning or if you are minded to do that.

Yes I will be able to object to their planning application, as will any neighbour.

I found out that about a year ago they put up a fence in the field to block another neighbours view because they dared had a bonfire on bonfire night.

They have tried to block my view by planting 6 willow trees in the field up against my fence. This cost them two days of plating and the cost of the trees and three are already dead due to the lack of water and heat.

So there are 14 neighbours who have views across their field and I dare say they don't want to fall out with these people over something minor and have their view ruined and property potentially devalued.

So I will be approaching them all when the application goes live and even consult a planning professional to know where to focus the objection.

It also appears that the landlord collects cash in hadn't every few months and doesn't declare this income properly.

Crazy that if they had just not stolen a few footballs from a 10 year old child no one would have looked into anything they are doing.


Are there any planning professionals on this form who could assist me with my objection ?

[PallasAthena]

Do you have actual evidence landlord isn't declaring for tax or just a guess because he collects in cash?

If you know the landlords identity you could report on the HMRC website.

https://www.gov.uk/report-tax-fraud

[dinkydonk]

Update below;




I am writing to formally raise a serious complaint regarding ongoing harassment, intimidation, and property theft affecting my family and other residents in xxx. My family has lived peacefully in our home for the past nine years, during which my son has regularly played football in our garden. On rare occasions when a ball has gone over the fence into an agricultural field, I have always retrieved it safely and respectfully, and we have never encountered issues with previous leaseholders of the adjacent field.

However, since 15th March, this situation has changed drastically. During a garden football game involving my son and five of his friends, a ball accidentally went over the fence. xxxx xxxxx, who now leases part of the field, responded by shouting abuse at the children, threatening them with police involvement, and stealing the ball without returning it.

A short time later, when I was kicking a ball with my son, a second ball went over. This time, xxxx sister, xxxxxxx, confronted us aggressively. When I politely asked for the ball back, she responded by making an obscene gesture at my son and me before walking away with the ball. My subsequent request for the return of the ball was met with further verbal abuse.

Since then, four footballs have gone over the fence — all of which have been taken and not returned. Despite contacting the police, who spoke to the individuals involved and requested the return of the items, the balls remain unreturned. While the police initially closed the case assuming compliance, I have had to reopen today, on Police advice, due to continued non-cooperation.

In retaliation, a vexatious harassment complaint was made to the police against me, and the same individuals have filmed me and my children (aged 6 and 10) while we were in our garden, clearly intending to intimidate us. As a result, I have been forced to move the football goals, purchase a net to prevent future incidents, and replace the stolen footballs. My son is now afraid to play outside, which is deeply upsetting.

Matters have escalated further. Six large willow trees have been planted within one metre of our fence, clearly positioned to block our view and sunlight. When I questioned this, I was told this was a response to a belief that I had reported them to the council for their lack of planning for their ‘farm’ operation — a claim that was untrue. The intention behind this act was clearly retaliatory and meant to cause distress.

I did subsequently report the planning issues to the council. I have attached the council’s response. Since then, the hostility has increased. Other neighbours have also shared their experiences and concerns with me, two of whom sent messages I forwarded to the landowner, xxxxxx. He passed these on to xxxxx, who then confronted the individuals she suspected had sent them, leading to further intimidation. One neighbour called me in tears, genuinely frightened.

This situation is no longer just a personal issue — it affects the wider community. I have sought legal advice from xxxxxx, who confirmed that pursuing legal action could have implications for disclosing a neighbour dispute if I choose to sell my property. This poses a serious risk to property values and the reputation of our village as a safe, family-friendly place to live. My next-door neighbour is currently selling to a family with young children, and I fear this sale could fall through if the situation becomes known.

We are simply asking to live in peace and safety — for our children to play in our own gardens without fear of harassment, abuse, or surveillance, and for our property not to be subject to theft or devaluation by the malicious actions of a small group.

Additionally, I would like to raise concerns about the financial sustainability and potential legitimacy of the operation being run on the leased fields. It is unclear how these individuals, including a retiree, someone reportedly on benefits, and others with modest incomes, are able to support multiple horses, goats, sheep, chickens, and large infrastructure across three fields.

A lifestyle usually associated with individuals with large amounts of disposable income.

I’m also told the landlord of the land takes all his rental payments cash in hand, so I have concerns he’s not declare the tax.

This situation has already escalated significantly, and I fear it could worsen. I am urging you to intervene to protect the well-being and rights of the residents of xxxxxxxxxxxx.

I am out of the country from 31st May to 4th June, but I look forward to hearing from you soon.