Everyone wants to have privacy in their own home, and it can be unsettling to know that strangers are able to peer into your windows or access your garden if you don't have a suitable boundary to keep them out.
And one woman has said she's now considering putting a fence up at the front of her house because she's sick of her next-door neighbour "staring" at her whenever they park their car in their driveway.
The woman explained her neighbour recently had a drive put in, but the angle at which they park their car means that they're staring directly into the bay window of her living room.
To combat the problem, the woman wants to put up a fence, but she's worried that it could cause a feud with her neighbour as she thinks the reason for the fence will be "very obvious" - and will make her look rude.
In a post on Mumsnet, she said: "My neighbour just had a driveway put in. Unfortunately for me, it's semi-detached and I have a bay window. They now park their car just inches from my window (they park diagonally for whatever reason).
"I was just sitting down now with a cup of tea in my living room, suddenly [there were] car lights in my face and my neighbour [was] staring at me.
"[It] just feels like an invasion of privacy and all I can seem to think to resolve it is by putting up a panel to block them out, but it would be very obvious as to why I've suddenly got a high fence panel in my front garden."
Commenters on the post encouraged the woman to go ahead with her fence idea, as many of them said that her neighbour should be able to understand why she wants her privacy back without it causing an argument.
One person said: "Perfectly reasonable to put up a fence panel in these circumstances. I certainly would!"
While another added: "I wouldn't worry about it being obvious why you've put a fence panel up. Wanting privacy in your own home isn't weird or antisocial.
"I'd be very matter-of-fact about it if it came up in conversation. Don't worry about what they think, would you sacrifice your privacy to avoid upsetting them?"
And a third posted: "I'd put the fence panel up. It doesn't really matter if they know the reason why or not; neither action (the driveway or the fence panel) is cause for reasonable people to start an argument about it."
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at yourmirror@trinitymirror.com.
