Getting Alleyway Closed Down...Advice?

aproctor said:
Eh :confused:

Whether they get done for it is one thing, but legal...no no no.
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It's a civil not crown offence. It only becomes a police matter if they refuse to leave after you tell them too.

Funny thing is in some new housing estates it's even worse as there are public rights of way that have been built over (and the right of way not rescinded) so in the most extreme case someone could legally ride a horse through your living room...:p
 
.Kencs said:
Same kinda question as the Annoying Neighbours topic...

There is an alleyway at the end of our road, and it leads into the woods and then onto an estate.
The neighbours round here have been trying to get the alleyway closed down for 2 years now but to no joy.

We have had several break-ins on our road and they have all been close to the alleyway, we also get 100-200 kids walk through our road before and after school. It isn't exactly a short cut so I don't know why they go this way, but as my house is on the corner which over-looks the alleyway, we get stones, airosole (Spelt wrong I know) cans, anything to hand thrown at our doors and windows.
We have also had our front doors opened by youths while we have been in the house. At 7pm, you should feel you have to lock your front door, but I'll be sat in the front room watching TV, next thing I know is the door buzzer is going off because the door has been opened. I rush to the door and there are about 5 or 6 lads running down the alleyway. This has happened 4 times in the past few months. They do it to several other neighbours. I think the door buzzer scares them off but I don't want to take the chance.

I have considered CCTV but why should I have to pay out for CCTV? Having the alleyway closed would save so many problems as there would be no need for the youths to walk through our road.

What I'm trying to find out is what can I do?

I have spoken to the Police and they said phone the Council, I phoned the Council and they said speak to the Neighbourhood Wardens department. I spoke to them and they said note down when things occur. They have 2 years worth of stuff from other neighbours, what more do they want???
I said OK fair enough, when my window gets put through I will note it down and wait until it happens again. They said it won't come to that, how do they know?

What other steps can I take?

Thanks
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Where abouts in Nottingham are you at, Kencs?
 
I know some of the alleyways on our estate have been successfully closed off by residents, but that's because their land boundary touches the alleyway and thus, apparently they own it (none of the roads or paths have been adopted by the council).

Maybe try and get some info from the land registry as to who owns the pathway - if it's not the council perhaps see if they can be circumvented in the decision to close it off.
 
Not great, but who doesn't lock their door nowardays?? Is it that much hassle? And even more so if you're having problems like this.

So many break ins and burglaries are through people leaving their doors unlocked.

We live in a good area where we could leave our doors unlocked, but why take the risk for the second or 2 it takes to lock and unlock the door.

If it's because you want to be able to get out quickly for any reason then as said stick a yale lock on there and you're sorted.
 
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Mr. Anderson said:
Build a wall? In the dead of night, about 5am, just go and build a wall. Be it bricks or fence and put barbed wire all over it. Or one of those barbed wire 4ft fences that they had in ww2.
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dmpoole said:
Right at the end of our street was an alleyway that led to fields which was quite useful for shortcuts and other people walking dogs etc.
After years of problems and getting nowhere the 2 neighbours blocked the alley way and turned into a bigger garden for the one on the right.
They built a wall at the back and put breeze block up at the front but after complaints the Council came out and did nothing.

alleyway.jpg
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That how to deal with it. Speak to your neighbours and those along the alleyway, be in agreement on how your going to close it, block it off, cover it in top soil or builders waste and plant with brambles. Tell the Council were to go if anyone complains as that is what the council is doing to you.
 
*Moangroan* said:
Would you and your neighbours club together to buy one of those mosquito's. This would depend if your neighbours have kids.

Are the mosquitos really that bad.
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The neighbours about 7 doors down had one to scare off cats, when i was working on my car it really pee'ed me off but the cats didn't seem bothered one bbit
 
Dom_UK said:
You could try what my Auntie's ex-marine husband did when youths were constatly kicking the front fence in. Sit outside in a gas mask in the rain on a deck chair with a baseball bat for 6 hours whilst polishing off a bottle of vodka :D
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Quality:cool:
 
Ev0 said:
Not great, but who doesn't lock their door nowardays?? Is it that much hassle? And even more so if you're having problems like this.

So many break ins and burglaries are through people leaving their doors unlocked.

We live in a good area where we could leave our doors unlocked, but why take the risk for the second or 2 it takes to lock and unlock the door.

If it's because you want to be able to get out quickly for any reason then as said stick a yale lock on there and you're sorted.
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Why should you need to lock your doors? You don't expect people to just walk into your house when your in...

The break-ins which have happened have all had there doors kicked in, not just opened and walked in.
 
As someone who worked in a council for around 10 years all I'll say is this - get to your councillor and keep at him/her until it's sorted. They are pretty useless most of the time but explain to them that this is an important issue and you'd like to meet him/her with your neighbours in the morning when the kids are passing. Then make it clear that you will not let this go and will be pestering him/her until it is sorted. Expect complaints/questions about routing for kids getting to school etc and be prepared to stick to your guns.

point out it's a trouble spot, get the police to back you up if you can and provide any logs you can to help back you up - they're probably the best evidence as you can't go around photographing kids.
 
.Kencs said:
Why should you need to lock your doors? You don't expect people to just walk into your house when your in...

The break-ins which have happened have all had there doors kicked in, not just opened and walked in.
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Because, as has been said, it's not illegal to walk in when the door is unlocked, why make it easy on them?

I take it you don't lock your car either?
 
How much would it cost to get a builder/yourself to close up the alleyway with some formidable fence/bricks? Not a lot.

It would take the council months, maybe years to get around to unblock it, or they may not even bother at all. I don't see why you shouldn't try this to be honest. You can always claim that you didn't know it was public property if you get caught.
 
WalesOwl said:
How much would it cost to get a builder/yourself to close up the alleyway with some formidable fence/bricks? Not a lot.

It would take the council months, maybe years to get around to unblock it, or they may not even bother at all. I don't see why you shouldn't try this to be honest. You can always claim that you didn't know it was public property if you get caught.
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Ignorance is no defensive in a court of law!
Blocking up the ally will get you in a heap of trouble imo (and rightly so), especially as you have already asked about getting it shut/closed as this pretty much proves that you know it's council property.

If 200 odd people use it then clearly it's a much needed public path and I think it's extremely unfair on the 95% of the youth/people that use it responsibly!
 
Kami said:
point out it's a trouble spot, get the police to back you up if you can and provide any logs you can to help back you up - they're probably the best evidence as you can't go around photographing kids.
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Eh? Why not? If they are on public property it's fine, unless of course the kids are naked or in sexually explicit poses... Even then depending on the circumstances naked is fine....

Stop reading the Daily Fail...
 
Do it Thai style, anywhere they dont want you to climb or walk, you will see broken glass, and lots of it. Thin bottle ends with very jagged edges!
 
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