UK families tell of threats and police warnings over children playing in street

Readers say they are afraid to let children outside after warnings from authorities and neighbours' threats

Cars, dog poo and delivery drivers: why children don't play out anymore

Families are facing threats and police warnings for letting their children play in the street, Guardian readers have reported, leaving parents afraid to let their children spend time outside.

Liz Swift thought a basketball hoop on wheels pushed to the corner of her street on sunny afternoons would be a great way to keep her 13-year-old active. But the local authority did not agree. The family received letters from Waltham Forest council warning them that children playing in the street were causing a nuisance to neighbours".