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by Lib Dem team on 12 August, 2010
Playing football in the street is illegal in Stockport borough. National laws makes it illegal when it causes an obstruction, and a by-law in Stockport extends that to all football.
I’m a big fan of taking a common-sense approach to the law. If a couple of kids are having a kick about on a quiet road and doing no-one any harm, I’d no more advocate taking action than I would suggest fining everyone who ever drives at 31mph in a 30mph zone.
But not all street football is benign. When heavy footballs are flying into people’s gardens, breaking windows and teenagers are jumping over hedges and onto flowerbeds to retrieve them, or where balls are smacking into parked vehicles, that can cause serious problems.
If you have an issue with street football causing you problems, do get in touch with Pam or myself and we’ll get action taken.
5 Comments
I always have to tell the children in my street to stop playing in people’s driveways mainly mine. If they played anywhere else i wont care but the ball keeps hitting my car. Why dont they just watch football haha. Kid will be kids.
I am so pleased to read this. I have been having a problem with a resident on my road who has complained to the council about my son playing football outside my house with a sponge ball, whilst being supervised by myself or my husband on a very rare sunday afternoon. Lets hope that people read this and common sense prevails as I am sure that everyone can understand that bad behaviour on the street is both upsetting and unacceptable.
Not only does playing football case an obstruction it is also dangerous for the children; people living in quiet closes have a false sense of security. I have seen people driving dangerously in my close on many occasions but the parents dont seem to be very aware of the danger. I think its easier for them to let the kids play in the front than it is to take them to the park.
It also causes damage to property, i have several scratches on my car where a spinning ball has made contact with the paint, this will cost me hundreds of pounds to repair.
Another problem is the loud noise the ball makes as it is kicked, this is very annoying.
A balance needs to be reached, parents need to perhaps be more sensitive to the rights of their neighbours and people in general need to be tollerant of the fact that children will be children.
As mentioned above I think supervision and a sponge ball is the perfect compromise.
Thank you…
Your post was mentioned on our So You Think You Can Dance website…
I live next door to the neighbours from hell,there son (8 years)keep hitting my windows and my car with his football if he not doing that he knocking my front door and running off.his father is a piss head and like his drugs,its not just my home neighbours as well,we are sick of it,phone the police in Manchester but we where told they cant waste there time on a child of 8 , we are now trying to sell up, I also need to add this child is out on the street till 10pm ,in my life I’ve never hated someone so much as this family,the chid is call devil child by everyone,you can only take so much