Residents furious as rocks thrown into garden from football pitch

A Navan family who say their lives are being made a misery by footballs constantly being kicked into their garden are calling for nets to be put up as soon as possible. The Rennicks family live in Dean Cogan Place and their home is right behind one of the goalposts on the FAI pitch at Boreen Keel that was officially opened by Packie Bonner last November. They say that up to 30 footballs could be kicked into their garden on any one evening and they are fed up handing them back and sick of people ringing their doorbell dozens of times a day. The problem took a dangerous twist last week when two rocks were thrown over the wall into the Rennicks" garden, narrowly missing two young children, after Sharon Rennicks refused to hand the football back for a third time. Ms Rennicks explained that they give people two chances, but if they kick the ball into their garden a third time, they don"t give the ball back. A man jumped up on the wall and shouted abuse at Ms Rennicks and when she did not hand over the ball again, two rocks were thrown into the garden where she was sitting with her four-year-old and five-month-old children. 'I was painting the furniture in the garden when the football came over twice and I gave the usual two warnings. It came over a third time and a man jumped on the wall and started shouting at me and I told him to get down. Then they started ringing the bell. Next thing, two rocks were thrown over the wall and, luckily, they didn"t hit the children,' said Ms Rennicks, who rushed inside with her two children. She rang the Gardai who came up later that evening. Ms Rennicks said balls would be kicked into their garden or up against the side of the house about 30 times a day and she wants to see a high net put in place as soon as possible. She said they do not want the pitch closed but if the nets are not sorted out soon, it may have to be. Her husband explained that the waste pipe going from an en suite bathroom down the side wall was hit so many times by footballs that it was damaged and caused a leak in their house. Betty Rennicks said the footballs, as well as constantly hitting the side of the house and the car, means they can"t have flowers around the house. 'The net should sort it. It should have been done long ago,' said Mrs Rennicks. Local councillor Tommy Reilly said there are three houses in Dean Cogan Place that are being badly affected. Balls are being kicked late at night and early in the morning, he added. He said he would be looking for the closure of the pitch if something is not done. 'People can"t be terrified at night. This is going on at 4am and 5am. That is not good enough. These people cannot sleep with footballs bouncing off the wall,' said Cllr Reilly. He said proper high netting needed to be put up and that it might be of some help to the people living there. Navan Town Clerk Shane Donnelly said he was aware of the issue and that he is getting quotations to find out how much it would cost to put up a net; he said they will look at where they can source funding. He added there was no net in the original design and that any of the FAI pitches in Dublin do not have nets, but he promised to get a costing and it would then be subject to funding.