"Uncle Marvo" wrote in message
snip
Have you considered applying wet-paint somewhere out of your own
way,
on the garage roof? It never dries and intruders get well smeared.

If you want to be really serious, broken glass and nails scattered around
under the hadge tends to deter most amateurs.


We used the wet-paint (anti vandal paint to give it it's proper name - based
on grease not spirits or water) a couple of houses ago. Trouble is you have
to be careful where you put it. Our next door neighbours delinquent kids
clambered all over our shed roof and fence and apparently ruined their
clothes on it since it is difficult to wash out. Their mother was none too
pleased but there was some ambiguity as to who was liable for the damage. We
didn't pay in the end, but I think if a passer by or someone manages to get
some on their clothing during "legitimate" activity then the home owner may
be liable.

The neighbours delinquent kids then decided to break into the other
neighbours garden shed, smashing a lock and discovered petrol stored there.
You can guess what happened next. By the time the fire brigade arrived there
was no shed left - the fire had also spread to several other buildings at
the bottom of the garden and severely damaged those too. The drunken
layabout father of the children said "It was the neighbours fault - he
shouldn't keep petrol locked in his garden shed!".

After we moved from there to our last property I ringed it with barbed wire
fencing for immediate protection then planted pyrocanthus all through it.
The hedge quickly grew and covered the wire fencing. However, you have to be
careful with barbed wire and anything else that could cause injury such as
broken glass, nails etc especially in a residential area - since again the
home owner is liable for injury caused to anyone. If an innocent child
climbed over such a fence to recover a stray football and injured themselves
then there could be serious repercussions. I think things are different in
France - from what I've read trespassers can be shot on sight! Though I'm
not sure if that just applies to the English!

Here in France we are in the middle of the countryside now, and have no low
life characters living near us. Though I understand there are a few
travellers from Eastern Europe going round nicking garden tools, ornaments
and flower tubs etc and trying to con gullible English residents in various
ways. The boundary is far too big to make secure here though.
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/