Pest-Stop Prikka Strip

Product Information

Various manufacturers make spikes and types of barbed wire that you can install on your wall. The type that you go with should be what keeps you and your family safe. Are anti-climb spikes legal? Section 164 Highways Act 1980, says that where, on land adjoining a highway, there is a fence made with barbed wire in or on it and the wire is a nuisance to the highway, a notice may be issued by the Local Authority for the nuisance to be removed.

The laws put in place are so that there aren’t any unnecessary injuries. This is why it is necessary to have a warning sign on a wall that has spikes on it. The law protects everyone, including intruders, so it's important they have a warning. Trim to size using a suitable saw. Curves and bends can be formed by immersing in very hot water. Prikka-Strip can also be easily cut to a double or single row strip using the hinge grooves as a guide. If the barbed wire is not adjoining the highway and an injury results, you could still be faced with a claim for damages under the Occupier Liability Acts. Occupiers of premises have a duty of care, to people entering or using their premises. This duty even extends to trespassers, although it is not as extensive as it is to people lawfully using or visiting the premises. So a burglar, who could not be aware that barbed wire was on top of a fence and injured himself on it, could have a claim against you despite the fact that he was a trespasser. We’ve been having a problem recently with some local youths, who think they have the right to enter my garden when they feel like it. The other factor that may influence the type of spikes that you get is their weight. The spikes will need to be compatible with the fence or wall that you have. If the spikes are too heavy for the structure, it will not hold up.

Newsletter Signup

This warning is to protect intruders from personal injury. But it also protects you as the property owner. If an intruder tries to climb over a wall, that has a warning sign on it, and they get hurt, it's on them.

Rotational spikes tend to be a tad more practical, as they can cut from different angles. This is not the case with one-directional spikes. Adequate warning signs were in place, and whilst these represented a more dangerous product than had been installed this was not a problem (whereas the other way might have been).This may also give you more time to get help. Also, the noise that may be made as they try to navigate through the spikes may help alert neighbours.

The legality of anti-climb spikes depends on your geographical location. The short answer is that anti-climb spikes are legal. For instance, in Australia, your fence will need to be at least of 2meteres in length for you to be able to put spikes on it. The fence/spikes must not be easily accessible by accident from a public highway. The height is not clearly defined, but, it is governed by the location. I.e. a farmer putting barbed wire on a 3” fence between fields is fine, however a house owner putting spikes on a low fence, on a cut-through where kids pass to school is not deemed acceptable. We went for rather more substantial metal spikes. Unfortunately the manufacturer supplied us with the warning signs for "razor spikes" (an interesting product developed in South Africa, bloody lethal). I subsequently had complaints made by local residents (the parents, in other words) to the Police, the Local Authority and the HSE. All of which I was succesfully able to have thrown out as I was able to demonstrate that:

Support

I had a very similar problem several years ago with a business premises. Vandals were scaling a wall, causing damage to vehicles and were also posing a risk to themselves by walking up the slope of the wall to bang on the windows of the first floor of a Georgian townhouse (very tall ceilings, narrow wall, significant drop). Please Note: Where prikla strips are used to protect commercial premises the use of warning signs is strongly recommended. The spikes that you can use on your wall also need to be safe as much as they're put there as a deterrent for thieves. The safety aspect comes in that the spikes should never pose a danger to the public or your neighbours. Ensure that you know the by-laws in your neighbourhood so that you don’t have to make amendments. Carpet grippers are where you may have a problem with the law. These are illegal to place, especially where someone might be putting their fingers. Types of strips available.