Hi all
By jenlewis
19 comments
Back in late summer I started to write a blog with pictures of all the changes I had done in my garden this spring. I started to upload the pictures I had taken and got no further. You see, all I could see was the board put up my next door and the CCTV camera they had put up capturing my garden. As hard as I tried, they were really getting me down. As the weather changed, the camera was getting more and more of a view even into the whole of my conservatory and one upstairs bedroom. Our Solicitor had written to them 3 times but they refused to move it even though the law and ICO (Information Commissions Office) stated that they were breaking the law by filming us in our own property. But the trouble was, there is no one to enforce it. Our Solicitor finally said that the only thing left was for us to take out a private injunction and take them to court which would cost a lot of money and then even have the extra cost of a enforcement officer to make them move it. Left me feeling very down. Stopped going out in the garden much and using the conservatory. Here is a couple of photos of the board they put up. Felt back in summer if I showed you all were I was so depressed , you would probably think I was over reacting. That it is only a board but it was the way it was put up. Trespassing aggressively into our garden and all the verbal threats of making our lives hell if we went to a solicitor. We lived with the worry of what next they would do. Didn’t want to even think about my garden and stopped coming on GOY
1st one before the board. Know it’s not a pretty wall but our house is Victorian and as long as it was safe, it was how it was when we bought this house.
2nd of the board which they want to have access to our garden to paint brilliant white. At least our solicitor seems to have stopped them just coming over and doing it.
We don’t have a very big back garden and so you can see it from the whole of it.
This next photo is of the camera taken from my garden. We looked up the details of it, it has night vision and a 160 degrees sight and a 100ft long vision. They had placed it right up to the boundary line.
Well the good news is for some unknown reason they moved it last week. It is now lower down and more towards the edge of the board that with the hedge only grown a little taller, we will have blocked it’s vision totally of our garden and Tim and I can stop arguing about what plants I can prune in the attempt to stop them filming not only us but also all the Reg plates numbers of all our customers who by the very fact of being customers are all Shotgun holders as it was filming our drive entrence.
You can see in the 1st of these two, also when he was doing all this work back in June, he built the wall up in the corner and now the wall is even more of a patchwork of different bricks but at least when the hedge grows, this too will be blocked.
On a much brighter note to finish, at the beginning of the month, the farmers cut the crop fields around us. We had an invasion of mice. I put out my live catch traps and caught 19 in 3 weeks!! Took them as Tim says for a package holiday and released them 3 miles away. We also thought me might have rat’s again, so put out the big trap and look what I found in it one morning.
Not sure if it is a weasel or stout, I think weasel as it doesn’t have a Black tip to its tail. Released it back in corner of garden as though it would probably help with the mouse invasion 😁.
Well hopefully our lives will now be a lot quieter and I can get back to enjoying my garden and joining in on here.
19 Nov, 2018
1 like
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Comments
Hi Sue, yes the trellis is ours. It was a 6ft tall one left by the previous owners that i put up there as there was a gap in the hedge. The problem is finding a taller one locally, I've looked as where the camera was, it was 3m up. The good thing is, in the hedge in that corner is also a Elderberry tree and Hawthorn tree that had been pruned when we had the hedge cut last year. These are really coming back fairly quickly so with the ivy as well, the camera should be blocked quickly. The good thing about the cameras new position is we no longer have to warn our customers that they were being filmed. Did make some of them stop coming as they didn't want our neighbours having a record due to being shotgun owners.
19 Nov, 2018
Well I can fully understand why you were anxious about it. It is awful that they can flout the law and get away with it.
But at last some resolution to the situation and you can enjoy your garden again.
yes that looks like a weasel, the main diagnostic difference is the black tip on the staot tail. size wise they are similar but a stoat can be up to 2" longer 6-12" long depending on age.
We get both in and around here as we have fields at the back of us. Had a stoat run through during the summer.
19 Nov, 2018
I was thinking about you Jennie a few weeks ago. Thought all your troubles were over. I would let all that shrubbery grow unpruned to block their view of your customers, although most people dont normally have to worry about being filmed. Definitely sub normal.
19 Nov, 2018
Stats and weasels are weasily distinguished as the
stoat'stotally different...
19 Nov, 2018
Hi Jen, Sorry to hear about your problems. I hope that you'll feel better when the shrubs have grown and hidden your garden from the camera.
20 Nov, 2018
A recipe from Adelaide 1895 to cheer you up.
Bachelors Buttons Biscuits.
Half an ounce of flour.
1 egg.
2 oz Caster Sugar.
Half a teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda.
1 oz of butter.
1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar.
6 drops flavour (essence of Almonds) I prefer Vanilla.
Rub the butter into the flour, stir in the sugar, soda and
Tartar. Mix into a stiff dough with the egg and flavouring.
Roll into small balls the size of marbles, toss in coarse sugar and bake from 5 to 8 minutes.
Dr.F.Muskett.
I couldnt think up this if I tried for a week !
20 Nov, 2018
Hi Seaburngirl, felt really stupid getting so worked up about it all. The board is only a board after all but them putting it up in our garden without even talking to us then getting threatening and aggressive when we said we weren't happy about it, then putting the camera up in the dark got to me, more so knowing that if I only acted within the law, there was absolutely nothing I could afford to do about it but now with the camera lower down feel so much better. Thanks for the I.D. I thought is was a weasel due to no black tail but my brother who is animal mad kept telling me I was wrong lol. X
20 Nov, 2018
Stera, (corrected auto correct this time 😀). I had never seen one up close and was using internet to I.D it but my brother kept telling me I was wrong as I had also sent him the picture as he is totally animal mad 😀, but it left me doubting myself.
20 Nov, 2018
Hi Hywel, thank you. Already feel so much better just with the camera being that little bit moved. This summer, where it was, stopped us thinning out the plum tree and grape vine to block our driveway from view and Tim was also saying he didn't want me pruning the grape vine or Buddleia this winter and spring as even the bare branches blocked a bit but now I can at least now do them.
20 Nov, 2018
Thank you Diane, sounds intriguing, will have to give it a go😀
20 Nov, 2018
Im so glad you feel a bot better about it Jen. Lets hope thats it sorted. Im gobsmacked thet the law isn’t any practical help to you. If it were a politician or celebrity in your shoes, they would have more success I dare say.
20 Nov, 2018
Thanks Karen. When we got the news about the only road left to us was a injunction we did do a email to our MP as there is a house of commons briefing paper published this year as my situation is becoming more common with CCTV cameras available so easily everywhere that they stated that lots of people are contacting their MP so we thought we would do so as well. Maybe if enough do then maybe something will be done. Well that's the plan lol.
20 Nov, 2018
Well, at least that gave you something to do about it. I'm glad to hear you followed it up. I'm in favour of CCTV in built up areas as I think it really helps the Police to catch criminals and acts as a deterrent. I'm not so sure that ordinary people should have access to CCTV cameras without a licence. and they should be made to place them where they aren't staring in to their neighbours' houses.
20 Nov, 2018
Karen, The funny thing is after all of this is I'm not totally against them being used privately if used correctly. Laura's neighbour has just put one up. They run a very small local taxi firm, only a couple of cars which are parked on their drive over night. People thought they would leave money in them and so broken into the cars a couple of times. Their insurance company said that if they fit CCTV then their premium would be lowered so they knocked on Laura's door to ask if she would mind as it would film Laura's drive as well. Laura said that it wasn't a problem as it would be protection for her car as well and wasn't filming inside her house or back garden. The neighbours then put it up properly with also putting up signs saying it was there like the ICO say you should since without putting up signage, any footage captured is not allowed to be used in court. My neighbours put up no signs at the entrance of their property, did not talk to us and even put it up in the dark with a head torch on and were filming inside my house and back garden having told us only the day before it went up that they were going to make our lives hell for objecting to them trespassing, then claiming 2ft of our garden. Saying all that, i don't feel they offer that much protection as all the criminals have to do is wear a hoodie or hat and scarf to hide their identities.
21 Nov, 2018
Hmm..true. You make a good argument Jen. :)
21 Nov, 2018
Karen lol😀
23 Nov, 2018
I do feel sorry when one has Neighbours from Hell! Why are people so awkward? Why do they look for trouble?We have always had great neighbours ( touch wood) and they are so protective of us. One has a camera directed at her drive but it is quite unobtrusive.
Like Karen I approve of cameras in public places. They offer a form of security. Overlooking one's garden is another matter. Odd nothing is done about these cameras as windows have to be approved when building a house or extension.
Glad matters seem to have improved if only slightly, Jen.
24 Nov, 2018
Hi Eirlys, I don't understand them either. I've always got on with neighbours I've had before and still talk on the phone with my old neighbours from nearly 30 yrs ago. We just hope they move soon. It's so nice not having that camera pointing at the conservatory and garden anymore. How is your husband doing?
24 Nov, 2018
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Hi Jen, good to hear from you again. Thank you for the pics, they make it much clearer. I just wondered, if that trellis is yours might you remove it and replace it with one two feet taller? The ivy could be encouraged to grow out and cover it (doesn't normally need much encouragement) and they would have no justification whatsoever for damaging it.
19 Nov, 2018