'My neighbour's daughter steals from me – people tell me to take drastic action'

Having a supportive neighbour can be a godsend, creating an atmosphere where you've got someone nearby to depend on.

But your patience would likely be wearing thin if your neighbour's kid started pinching items from your house and wreaking havoc every time they popped by.

That was precisely the dilemma for one lady who found herself at her wit's end with her neighbour's little girl, who would enter her abode only to "disrupt everything [...]climbing on furniture and damaging things".

The exasperated mum detailed how the "compulsive liar and a nasty little girl" had distressed her son, leading her to contemplate banning the child from her home.

Venting on Mumsnet, she aired: "I came back off holiday on Friday and brought my son a huge tub of his favourite chocolate from duty-free. He has been saving them and only having a handful each time."

However, when her neighbour's daughter dropped by to hang out with her lad, he bragged about his chocolatey haul. "As soon as he left the room to go outside and play she ate the whole tub!!!! Bearing in mind this is a huge tub of chocolate", she fumed.

Her young boy was so "angry" about the incident, that he insisted that the neighbouring girl should be sent home. Despite assurances, the chocolates remained unreplaced, with the mother noting, "She promised to replace them but hasn't. They don't have much money so I don't expect it".

Wrapping up her post, she expressed her frustration, saying: "She keeps calling round every day and I have been saying no as my son doesn't want her here. It's getting to the point where it's embarrassing sending her back home 2-3 times a day."

"How can I word this nicely to her mum that I don't want her coming round? She's a compulsive liar and a nasty little girl. (As horrible as it sounds)."

In the comments, people were incensed on her behalf. One person advised: "Turn her away every time, stop letting her into your home. With all the respect in the world, you were a fool for letting her in on Saturday when you've had such a bad time of it with her in the past. You need to consistently say no, not occasionally give in when she pesters enough, that'll just make her think pestering is the way in."

Another suggested: "Can you stop answering the door, send mum a message and say that as your son is upset with her daughter you don't think it's appropriate for her to keep knocking on your house for him and just leave it at that."

A third commenter recommended: "Tell her mum it has to stop could you have a word with her and tell her to stop coming to mine as it's taking the p***."