[Moleskins]

I like the way you surprised him .............
Many years ago as a lad we had been scrumping and were lying in the ditch enjoying the 'fruits' of our labour.
Looking out across the grass in front of us we saw a lady and one of the boys said " hey look at that old woman
over there" at which point through the hedge from behind us came the farmers wife ( who we hadn't seen ) as she said
"I'll give you look at that old woman" we scarpered sharp style. There has been many a time in the last
fifty odd years that I've had a chuckle at the memory of it and I now wish to apologise publicly for nicking the apples
but I hope that the enjoyment the tale has given me and others counts as recompense.

[Hermit]

I used to keep a muck heap by the side of the gate at my last field. I noticed one night the street lamp above the gate was broken and the next morning I found out why! Someone had helped themselves to the muck heap and wanted to do it in the dark so they knew they were stealing!
 More fool them though as in the dark they lost their fork, a good one, and a mans silver watch placed on the wall to keep it clean. The man who owned the field got himself a new watch and I goy myself an expensive poo fork.

[Roxy]

My old Uncle told me that as  a young lad him and his friends often pinched apples from an old mans orchard on the way home from school.  He said as well as the apples, they enjoyed outrunning the irate owner.  He must have reported the matter to the local bobby, because the next time they tried it, they ran headlong into the policeman.

As well as a slap round the head from the policeman, my uncle got a good hiding from his mum as well.  He said he lost the urge to steal apples after that.

[doganjo]

My old Uncle told me that as  a young lad him and his friends often pinched apples from an old mans orchard on the way home from school.  He said as well as the apples, they enjoyed outrunning the irate owner.  He must have reported the matter to the local bobby, because the next time they tried it, they ran headlong into the policeman.

As well as a slap round the head from the policeman, my uncle got a good hiding from his mum as well.  He said he lost the urge to steal apples after that.

Now THAT is what is missing in today's society!  When my kids were little they knew that if they were bad at school and got a row from a teacher they'd get worse when they got home.  Nowadays the parents sue!

[Roxy]

That was exactly my Uncles view.....but can you imagine if a policeman hit a 10 year old child, and if the parent did the same for that matter!!!

But, it obviously did some good in those days, and I doubt my Uncle or his mum would have dreamt of sueing anyone.

Its laughable though, that a crime like that was seen as worthy of a police visit, when you think what kids get up to today.

[ellied]

I had an old mobile caravan down the field for several years and was furious when folk came while I was out and ripped it apart for the aluminium and other metal, but left everything else lying dangerously in a field with animals - nails lying upward etc    One of them (I think) had been to the house to ask for the scrap and offered me cash for it which I'd accepted (tho not received) on the basis they'd uplift the whole thing on a trailer and take it away, but I discovered because I had agreed they could have it, the most I could sue for was the amount I had agreed on and their taking less of the caravan was not illegal so I was left with a dangerous heap of wood, metal, ceramic and wire, broken glass from the windows etc to clear up and carry on a barrow one piece at a time by myself

The silver lining was that I discovered a nearly new large breaking tool - mallet one side and axehead the other - so I decided it was my due payment for the part they'd taken and at least it motivated me to get the rest cleared up I suppose   It would probably have been lying there for months otherwise as I'd have felt obliged to leave it for collection for a reasonable period having agreed to the sale

[sabrina]

When we first came here a man used to jog through our neighbours fields then into ours. One day I caught him coming out of our boiler house, he had used the toilet which we kept as it saved taking muddy boots of and coming into the house. When challenged he said I can go wherever I like. I started giving the dogs the run of the place and we never had him on our land again.

[Moleskins]

.....but can you imagine if a policeman hit a 10 year old child, and if the parent did the same for that matter!!

Our village bobby reduced me to tears in the street for not having proper lights on my bike, I had a back one and was holding a torch on the handlebars for the front one ...........  I was sixteen at the time.

[SallyintNorth]

My father used to have fishing rights on a bit of the Monnow - great coarse fishing (he used to rear the wee fish at home in our garden ponds and take them down to the river in a water-filled dustbin in the passenger footwell of the car!) and some trout.

They'd been having trouble with poachers.  No-one minded the odd local taking a couple of trout home for tea, but this was poaching on a grander scale, presumeably selling to the restaurant trade.  Plus they were using electric shock to stun the fish, and leaving hundreds of Dad's painstakingly reared and transported coarse fish floating belly-up. 

A stakeout was set up, the water bailiff having determined when and how the looters struck.  The police, with the bailiff's help, caught three of four of the thugs, but the fourth managed to get away on foot in the darkness.  On the way to the police station with the three in the back of the police car, the driver thought how odd to find a solitary hitchhiker out in the sticks so late at night ... sure enough, the fourth hoodlum only flagged down the police car for a lift!  He got one... 

[manian]

our neighbour was caught stealing 2 hanging baskets from our polytunnel!!!!!
now that's cheeky
Mx

[shearling]

How did they get caught stealing the baskets?

I lived on the south coast and we had to pay for shingle to go on the beach to stop the town from dissapearing into the sea. Every year tractors came with it and moved it around to help stop the erosion. Big signs were up telling people not to help themselves to it with warnings of prosecution. My children were dipping their toes in the sea and I sat down to watch them. A family were near by and the woman kept producing plastic bags which the family tried to secretly fill. I asked if they would like me to pinch the shingle from their drive, in he same way and would they like help from the police to carry it to their car. Very quickly they scarpered, but I bet they came back.

[manian]

my OH saw her from the bathroom window.....(it was 6am in the morning!)
 luckily our land back onto our house.........she jumped over the fence

[shearling]

my OH saw her from the bathroom window.....(it was 6am in the morning!)
 luckily our land back onto our house.........she jumped over the fence

what did you do?

[manian]

well he challenged her. we had had some bother with them and access rights (they have pedestrian ones but think they have vehicular; and are 2 faced; saying to us they love what we have done etc with the animals and to others how we have ruined the village!!!!
well not informed police, but shouldn't have any probs now!!!!!!! hopefully

[shearling]

Good for you. You could always set a cattle prod