Fence panel

Abstract

A fence panel comprises a wire mesh front panel and a plurality of reinforcing members connected to said front panel. The reinforcing members extend beyond an edge of the front panel, so as to stick o

Description

The present invention concerns a fence panel, a fence comprising said fence panel, a kit for creating said fence panel and methods of assembling said fence panel and said fence. Fence panels are often designed to provide a level of security, which means that they need to increase the time in which an attacker can breach the fence (i.e. the delay time), thereby allowing security members to reach the breach point in time to stop the attempted intrusion. Commonly used solutions to increase the delay time and therefore the security offence panels include using two mesh panels parallel to each other with reinforcing members in between them. However, this results in fence panels which are very heavy and require a large amount of material, thereby increasing the material and transport costs. In addition, commonly used security fences require the fence panels to be connected to, and supported by, fence posts. This requires deep foundations to be dug, and then filled with a setting material, such as cement. This results in the installation of said fence being time consuming and expensive. Further, the use of fence posts to secure fence panels results in the need for even more components such as clips, nuts, bolts and washers. This increases the complexity of the fence installation. The present invention therefore aims to provide a fence panel and fence which provides a level of security whilst being light weight and easy to install. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fence panel comprising a wire mesh front panel and a plurality of reinforcing members connected to said front panel, wherein the reinforcing members extend beyond an edge of the front panel, wherein the reinforcing members extend away from the surface of the front panel and wherein the distance from the centre of one reinforcing member to the centre of an adjacent reinforcing member is less than 60 cm. The term "fence panel" is used herein to refer to a panel that is in use placed adjacent to one or more other fence panels to create a fence. By "extend away from the surface of the front panel" it is meant that at least a portion of the reinforcing member is not in contact with the front panel. In other words, at least part of the reinforcing member extends in a plane perpendicular to the face of the front panel. The "centre" of the reinforcing members is the middle point of the reinforcing members. This may be the middle of both the length and the width of the reinforcing members. If the reinforcing members are arranged vertically, the distance between the centre of one reinforcing member and the centre of an adjacent reinforcing member is measured horizontally. As used herein, the term "apex" refers to the point at which the two sides of a V-shaped reinforcing member meet. Therefore, the distance from the apex of one V-shaped reinforcing member to the apex of an adjacent V-shaped reinforcing member is equivalent to the distance between the centres of the adjacent V-shaped reinforcing members. The distance between adjacent V-shaped reinforcing members is preferably measured horizontally. As used herein, the term "height" refers to the vertical height of the fence panel, perpendicular to the surface on which the fence panel is to be placed. As used herein, the term "length" refers to the longest dimension of a component. In relation to the reinforcing members, this may be perpendicular to the surface on which the fence panel is to be placed. The "width" of the reinforcing members or the fence panel therefore refers to the horizontal dimension of the reinforcing members or the fence panel, parallel to the surface on which the fence panel is to be placed. The reinforcing members advantageously provide additional security to the fence panel as they provide additional material an attacker would be required to cut through in order to breach the fence panel, thereby increasing the time taken to breach the fence panel. The delay time of the fence panel may therefore be 3, 5 or 10 minutes. However, as the reinforcing members extend beyond an edge of the front panel, they can also be used to support the front panel to form a fence without requiring fence posts. Thus, the reinforcing members provide both support and security to the fence panel. The inventors have surprisingly found that positioning the reinforcing members such that the distance from the centre of one reinforcing member to the centre of an adjacent reinforcing member is less than 60 cm results in an advantageous balance between the weight and rigidity of the fence panel and the security provided to the fence panel. The visibility through the fence panel is also retained. The reinforcing members may be connected to the front panel in a vertical direction. The reinforcing members may be connected to the front panel in substantially the same orientation, such that the reinforcing members are substantially parallel to each other. The reinforcing members may extend along more than 80% of the height of the front panel. This advantageously results in increased security along the majority of the height of the fence panel. This provides increased security at the sections most likely to be targeted by an attacker. However, not extending the reinforcing members along the entire height reduces the weight of the fence panel and reduces the amount of materials required. The percentage of the height of the front panel over which the reinforcing members extend may be decided based on the height of the fence panel and / or front panel. The reinforcing members may extend along 100% of the height of the front panel. This advantageously results in increased security along the entire height of the fence panel. The fence panel may comprise more than five reinforcing members, optionally more than seven. The reinforcing members beneficially increase the security of the fence panel as they increase the amount of material through which an intruder would be required to cut in order to breach the fence, as well as supporting the fence panel along its width. Therefore, it is advantageous for the fence panel to comprise a plurality of the reinforcing members and to position them in close proximity to each other. The number of reinforcing members the fence panel comprises may depend on the manner in which the reinforcing members are attached, for example if they are attached at the apex of a V-shaped reinforcing member or at the end of a V-shaped reinforcing member, as well as on the widths of the fence panel and the reinforcing members. The edge of the front panel over which the reinforcing members extend will be the bottom edge of the front panel in use. The edge may therefore be perpendicular to the length of the reinforcing members. The reinforcing members may extend beyond an edge of the front panel by 10 to 75 cm, optionally 15 to 50 cm. This allows at least part of the reinforcing members to be placed into foundations on the surface on which the fence panel is to be placed. This advantageously results in the reinforcing members securing the fence panel into the surface and negates the need for additional elements such as fence posts. The reinforcing members may all extend beyond an edge of the front panel by the same distance or may extend beyond an edge of the front panel by different distances. For example the reinforcing members may alternate between longer and shorter reinforcing members to provide a balance of securing the fence panel in the foundations but reducing the amount of material used. One or more of the plurality of reinforcing members may be attached to the front panel using one or more coils. Each of the plurality of reinforcing members may be attached to the front panel using one or more coils. The coils may connect one or more wires of the reinforcing member to one or more vertical wires of the front panel. The coils may attach the reinforcing member to the front panel along the entire height of the front panel over which the reinforcing member extends or along intermittent sections of the front panel. The use of coils increases the ease of assembly as fewer components are required to assemble the fence panel. The present invention does not require additional attachment means for example bolts, nuts, and washers to assemble the fence panel. In addition, the coil advantageously increases the amount of material that an attacker would need to cut through in order to breach the fence, therefore increasing the delay time and the security of the fence panel. The connection between the reinforcing members and the front panel is preferably loose, such that the reinforcing members can move slightly relative to the panel. This can be achieved by connecting the reinforcing members to the front panel with a coil. This can help to increase the delay time of the fence panel. The plurality of reinforcing members may be attached to one side of the front panel. Preferably, the reinforcing members may be attached to the back side of the front panel, i.e. the side of the front panel away from an attacker. This may make it more difficult to breach the fence panel. The reinforcing members may be substantially parallel to one another. This advantageously increases the ease of assembling the fence panel and results in a consistent reinforcement across the whole of the fence panel. The distance between two adjacent reinforcing members centre to centre may be 10 to 50 cm. Preferably, the distance between two adjacent reinforcing members centre to centre may be 15 to 30 cm, or between 20 and 25cm. This advantageously results in at least one of the reinforcing members needing to be cut by an intruder attempting to breach the fence panel, but reduces the weight of the fence panel. Each of the plurality of reinforcing members may extend across at least three vertical wires of the front panel. This advantageously allows the reinforcing members to provide additional security and support for the fence panel. In addition, a reinforcing member that extends over three to five vertical wires results in easier handling and installation compared to reinforcing members which are wider and therefore expand over more vertical wires of the front panel. This results in easier assembly and installation of the fence panel. The reinforcing members may be V-shaped in cross-section, the cross-section being perpendicular to their length. In addition, the V-shaped design of the reinforcing members results in them being lightweight and easily attached in multiple configurations to the wire mesh front panel. Alternatively, the reinforcing member may be square or rectangular in cross-section. The reinforcing member may be directly connected to only one or two vertical wires of the front panel but may extend across at least three vertical wires of the front panel. The number of vertical wires that the reinforcing member extends across may depend on the spacings of the wire mesh of the front panel. There may be some vertical wires in the fence panel that do not have the reinforcing member extending over them. For example, there may be one or two vertical wires in the fence panel between each reinforcing member that do not have a reinforcing member extending over them. Alternatively, all of the vertical wires in the fence panel may have a reinforcing member extending over them. One or more of the plurality of reinforcing members may comprise a plurality of wires connected to one another. This advantageously results in the reinforcing members being relatively light weight and easy to manufacture. In addition, this advantageously allows the reinforcement of the fence panel whilst still allowing visibility through the fence panel. One or more of the plurality of reinforcing members may be formed from a wire mesh. The wire mesh may be the same wire mesh as that of the front panel. Alternatively, the wire mesh may have horizontal and / or vertical wires with larger spacing between them compared to the wire mesh of the front panel. The reinforcing members may be made of metal wire, preferably steel wire. The wires may be coated. The wires may have a diameter of between 2 and 10mm, depending on the wind resistance and security level needed. The wire mesh or plurality of wires otherwise connected to one another which form each of the reinforcing members may be attached to each other by welding. This provides a strong connection between the wires, thereby increasing the security of the fence. Each of the plurality of reinforcing members may comprise at least three straight wires that are connected to one another. Additional straight wires may be present between these three straight wires. These straight wires may extend the length of the reinforcing member. At least one of these straight wires may be connected to the front panel, optionally connected to a vertical wire of the front panel. The connection may be via a coil. One or more vertical wires of the front panel may not be connected to the reinforcing members. One or more vertical wires of the front panel which are not connected to a reinforcing member may still have a reinforcing member extending over them. The straight wires in the reinforcing member may align with the vertical wires in the front panel, whether or not they are directly connected. The reinforcing member may be V-shaped. One straight wire may extend along the apex of the V-shape and another two straight wires may extend along each end of the V-shape. This advantageously results in a strong shape for the reinforcing member which requires fewer wires and / or less material to provide said strength. In addition, the straight wires can be easily connected to the front panel. The distance between the centre of a first V-shaped reinforcing member and the centre of a second adjacent V-shaped reinforcing member is therefore the distance between the apex of the first and the apex of the second reinforcing members. A straight wire extending along the apex of the V-shape may be connected to the straight wires extending along each end of the V-shape by a bent wire. The bent wire may comprise one or more bends in which the internal angle is about 40 degrees to 130 degrees, optionally 50 to 120 degrees. The wires may not be equal in diameter. The straight wires may have a different diameter to one another. For example, the straight wire extending along the apex of the V-shape may be thicker than the straight wire extending along each end of the V-shape. Additionally or alternatively, the bent wire may be thinner than one or more of the straight wires. The bent wire may be a V-shaped bent wire which extends from one straight wire extending along an end of the V-shape, to the wire extending along the apex of the V-shape and then to the other straight wire extending along an end of the V-shape. The V-shaped reinforcing member may comprise a plurality of said bent wires, which may be positioned at equal intervals along the length of the reinforcing member. The bent wires may also be positioned at unequal intervals along the length of the reinforcing member. For example, the bent wires may be closer to one another at the bottom of the fence panel than at the top of the fence panel. The bent wire may extend from one straight wire extending along an end of the V-shape, to the wire extending along the apex of the V-shape and then back to the first straight wire extending along an end of the V-shape. A single bent wire may comprise a plurality of bends and may extend along most, if not all, of the length of the reinforcing member. The V-shaped reinforcing member may comprise two bent wires, one between each wire at the end of the reinforcing member and the wire at the apex of the reinforcing member. The bent wires may extend the entire length of the V-shaped reinforcing member. The bent wires may extend most of the length of the V-shaped reinforcing member (e.g. more than 80% or more than 90%) such that they provide additional security along the entire height of the front panel that is attached to the V-shaped reinforcing member but do not extend all the way into foundations. This allows a high level of security but reduces the amount of material required for the fence panel. The bent wire of the V-shaped reinforcing member may connect to each of the adjacent straight wires of the V-shaped reinforcing member at 4 to 12 connection points, optionally 6 to 10 connection points. Each bent wire may be connected to the straight wire at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member and one of the two straight wires at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member. The two bent wires may be similar or identical to one another and may be connected to the apex straight wire at the same points along the length of said wire. The two bent wires may be mirror images of one another. The connection points may be welded connections. The angle of the bend of the bent wires and the number of connection points provides a balance between increased security of the fence panel and the amount of material required to create the V-shaped reinforcing members. Each of the plurality of V-shaped reinforcing members may be attached to the front panel at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member or at one or both of the ends of the V-shaped reinforcing member. The inventors of the present invention have surprisingly found that attaching the V-shaped reinforcing member at the apex results in an easier to assemble fence as this arrangement requires only one point of connection to the front panel rather than two, whilst resulting in a more stable fence panel and fence as the outer ends of the V-shaped reinforcing member are more stable when holding the fence panel upright. In arrangements attaching the V-shaped reinforcing member to the front panel at the apex, only one coil may be required to attach each V-shaped reinforcing member to the front panel. In addition, more reinforcing members may be attached to each panel when the V-shaped reinforcing members are attached at the apex. This therefore advantageously creates a higher security fence panel as more material would need to be cut through by an intruder in any area of the fence panel. In addition, this arrangement may provide a stronger fence as more reinforcing panels are placed in the foundation to provide support. However, attaching the V-shaped reinforcing member by the ends of the V-shaped reinforcing member means that the V-shaped reinforcing members are more fixedly attached to the front panel and so the fence is easier to erect. Additionally, fewer V-shaped reinforcing members may be used, which means that the fence panel is lighter. Some of the V-shaped reinforcing members could be attached to the front panel via the apex and some via the ends of the V-shaped reinforcing member in a single fence panel. This means that the fence can be tailored in terms of delay time, cost and weight as desired. The V-shaped reinforcing members may be attached to the front panel by connecting one or more of the straight wires of the V-shaped reinforcing member to one or more vertical wires of the front panel. The connection may be via a coil. The length of the reinforcing members may be about 200 to about 400 cm, optionally about 250 to about 350 cm. This advantageously results in the reinforcement of the fence panel at a height which is at the highest risk of being attacked by a potential intruder. The width of the reinforcing members may be between about 5 and about 30 cm, optionally between about 10 and about 20 cm. This allows a high level of security to be provided whilst maintaining a relatively low weight, thus increasing the ease of assembly and installation and keeping material costs low. This also means that the reinforcing members will extend over the desired number of vertical wires. The reinforcing members may extend over >50% of the area of the front panel, optionally over >60% of the area of the front panel. This results in an attacker needing to cut through both the front panel and at least one section of a reinforcing member to breach the fence. The mesh of the front panel may comprise a plurality of horizontal wires with spacings of 5 to 300 mm, optionally 10 to 200 mm, between adjacent horizontal wires. The wire mesh front panel may comprise a plurality of vertical wires with spacings of 50 to 150 mm, optionally 75 to 100 mm, between adjacent vertical wires. There is preferably no second panel parallel to the front panel. The fence panel may further comprise additional security features, for example razor wire or barbed wire on the front panel of the fence panel and / or along the top of the fence panel. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fence comprising a panel as discussed above. The fence may comprise a plurality of fence panels according to the present invention. Adjacent fence panels may be connected using a coil. The coil may connect the adjacent outer vertical wires of the adjacent fence panels. This is a simple way to connect the fence panels to one another, and allows the fence panels to be connected at a variety of angles to one another. At least part of a lower portion of the reinforcing members that extends beyond the edge of the front panel may be positioned within a foundation. All of the portion of the reinforcing members that extends beyond the edge of the front panel may be positioned within a foundation. The reinforcing members may act alone to secure the fence panel into the foundations. The foundation may be the only support for the fence panel. The foundation may be formed from any suitable material, such as concrete, cement and / or soil. In some cases only the reinforcing members extend into the foundation. In this way, the front mesh panel may be loosely attached to the reinforcing members using one or more coils. This results in the spiral coil moving slightly in response to vibrations caused by an attacker attempting to breach the fence. This can result in increasing the delay time of the fence and can in some cases damage the tool, e.g. a grinder disc. A bottom edge of the front panel may be positioned within the foundation. This advantageously helps secure the fence panel and fence in the foundation. As the lower edge of the front panel is contained in the foundations, this reduces access via this edge. The fence may comprise no fence posts. Using the plurality of reinforcing members to secure the fence panel in the foundation, instead of fence posts, allows shallower foundations to be used. This results in reduced time for digging the foundations and a reduced cost for filling materials such as concrete. Therefore, installing the fence is easier, cheaper and quicker than a fence requiring fence posts to be installed. The foundation may be between about 10 and about 75 cm deep, optionally between about 20 and about 50 cm deep. The foundation may be located at least partially underground. The foundation may be located entirely underground. The ability to use shallower foundations to install the fence of the present invention also advantageously allows the fence to be used in areas where digging deeper foundations is difficult or impractical, for example due to the surface or the presence of underground obstacles such as pipes and cables. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit of parts for creating a fence panel according to the present invention. The kit comprises a wire mesh front panel, a plurality of reinforcing members, and a plurality of coils. A kit according to this aspect of the present invention provides an easily transportable means to create a fence panel on-site, using modular parts. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for assembling a fence panel according to the present invention. The method comprises attaching a first reinforcing member to the front panel and attaching the remainder of the plurality of reinforcing members such that the distance from the centre of one reinforcing member to the centre of an adjacent reinforcing member is less than 60 cm, wherein each reinforcing member is attached such that it extends beyond an edge of the front panel. The fence panel can be assembled on site or assembled offsite and moved to the desired location later. Each of the plurality of reinforcing members may be V-shaped in cross section and may be attached to the front panel by a single coil attached to the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member. Each of the plurality of V-shaped reinforcing members may be attached to the front panel by two coils, each attached to an end of the V-shaped reinforcing member. Using coils to attach the V-shaped reinforcing members advantageously results in easier installation of the fence as there is no requirement to use bolts, nuts, and / or screws. Thus, the present invention provides a simple way to assemble a fence panel that is strong and stable, without requiring additional tools. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for assembling a fence comprising the fence panels of the present invention. The method comprises placing each fence panel into a hole such that at least part of the plurality of reinforcing members that extend below an edge of the front panel are positioned within the hole; filling the hole with a suitable material to form a foundation, and connecting adjacent fence panels to one another. The bottom edge of the front panel may be positioned within the foundation. All of the part of the plurality of reinforcing members that extends below an edge of the front panel may be positioned within the hole. The adjacent fence panels may be connected by a coil. The coil may be attached to the adjacent outermost vertical wire of the front panel of each of the adjacent fence panels. Thus, the present invention provides an easy way to assemble a fence that is strong and stable, without requiring additional tools or deep foundations. A feature described in general terms in relation to one embodiment may equally apply to any of the other embodiments discussed above. The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the following figures, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a front view of a first embodiment of a fence panel; Figure 2 illustrates a side view of the first embodiment of a fence panel; Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of the first embodiment of a fence panel; Figure 4 illustrates a close up view of two adjacent fence panels of the first embodiment; Figure 5 illustrates a plan view of the first embodiment of a fence panel; Figure 6 illustrates a front view of a second embodiment of a fence panel; Figure 7 illustrates a side view of the second embodiment of a fence panel; Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of the second embodiment of a fence panel; Figure 9 illustrates a close up view of two adjacent fence panels of the second embodiment; Figure 10 illustrates a plan view of the second embodiment of a fence panel; and Figure 11 illustrates a third embodiment of the V-shaped reinforcing member in isolation. Figure 1 illustrates a fence panel 1 comprising a wire mesh front panel 2 and ten V-shaped reinforcing members 4 which are each connected to the front panel 2 via two coils 3a. Each V-shaped reinforcing member 4 is formed from three straight wires 5a, 5b and two bent wires 6. Two straight wires 5b run along each end of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4 and the third 5a runs along the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4. Each bent wire 6 zig-zags between a straight wire 5b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4 and the third straight wire 5a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4. The straight wires 5b at the ends of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4 are attached to the front panel 2 using coils 3a, while the straight wire 5a at the apex of the reinforcing member 4 is positioned away from the front panel 2 and is not connected directly to the front panel 2. A lower portion 8 of the V-shaped reinforcing members 4 and a lower edge of the front panel 2 are shown placed in a foundation 7. A lower portion 8 of the V-shaped reinforcing members 4 extends beyond the lower edge of the front panel 2 and into the foundation 7. This results in the fence panels 1 forming a fence, without the need for fence posts. The fence panel 1 is connected to an adjacent fence panel 1 by a coil 3b. Figure 2 illustrates a side view of the first embodiment of a fence panel 1 comprising a wire mesh front panel 2 and a plurality of V-shaped reinforcing members 4 which are each connected to the front panel 2 via coils 3a. The straight wire 5a furthest from the front panel 2 is the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4. The two straight wires 5b at the ends of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4 are connected to the front panel 2. The side profile of the bent wires 6 can be seen. The bent wires 6 alternate between connecting, at a connection point, with the straight wire 5a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4 and one of the two straight wires 5b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4 such that each bent wire 6 is in contact with the apex straight wire 5a and one of the straight end wires 5b at a plurality of connection points along the length of the straight wires 5a, 5b. The bent wire 6 comprises fourteen bends resulting in a zig-zag effect down the height of the fence panel 1. Each bend is approximately 120 degrees. The V-shaped reinforcing members 4 and a lower edge of the front panel 2 are shown placed in a foundation 7. A lower portion 8 of the V-shaped reinforcing members 4 extends beyond the lower edge of the front panel 2 and into the foundation 7. Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of the first embodiment of a fence panel. A plurality of V-shaped reinforcing members 4 are attached at the rear side of the wire mesh front panel 2. The V-shaped reinforcing members 4 are arranged so that the two straight wires at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member are attached to the wire mesh front panel 2 via coils 3a. The straight wire at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing members 4 is furthest from the wire mesh front panel 2. Each bent wire is connected to the top of the straight wire at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4 and then bends and extends to one of the straight wires at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4. The bent wire then bends again and extends back to the straight wire at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4. This is repeated along the entire length of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4 with the bent wires connected to the bottom of the straight wires at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member 4. A lower portion of the V-shaped reinforcing members 4 and a lower edge of the front panel 2 are shown placed in a foundation 7. A lower portion 8 of the V-shaped reinforcing members 4 extends beyond the lower edge of the front panel 2 and into the foundation 7. Figure 4 illustrates a close up view of two adjacent fence panels of the first embodiment. The two adjacent fence panels are attached using a coil 3b which connects the adjacent outer vertical wires 22 of the wire mesh front panel of each fence panel. Two V-shaped reinforcing members can be partly seen. Each of the straight wires 5b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member are connected to a vertical wire 22 of the front panel via a coil 3a. The straight wire 5a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member is in line with a vertical wire 22 of the front panel but is located behind and away from the front panel and so is not directly connected to the front panel. The coil 3a is attached such that the relevant straight wire 5b of the V-shaped reinforcing member and the vertical wire 22 of the front panel are within the coil and the coil is positioned between each horizontal wire 21 of the front panel. Each bent wire 6 of the V-shaped reinforcing member is connected to the straight wire 5a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member and one of the straight wires 5b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member, which is attached to the front panel. The V-shaped reinforcing member spans three vertical wires 22 of the front panel, and is in direct attachment to two of said vertical wires 22. Figure 5 illustrates a plan view of the first embodiment of a fence panel. The top section illustrates a plan view of two adjacent fence panels attached using a coil 3b. Each fence panel has ten V-shaped reinforcing members 4 attached to a wire mesh front panel 2 using coils 3a. The foundation 7 into which the fence panels are placed in use extends out past the V-shaped reinforcing members at the back of the fence panel and past the front panel at the front of the fence panel. A section of the fence panel comprising two V-shaped reinforcing members is shown in a circle, this section is shown in more detail in the larger circle below. The more detailed view illustrates a section of the fence panel which comprises two V-shaped reinforcing members attached to the wire mesh front panel 2 of the fence panel. Each V-shaped reinforcing member is attached at the two ends of the V-shaped reinforcing member using coils 3a. The two straight wires 5b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member are attached to two vertical wires 22 of the front panel 2. Each of the V-shaped reinforcing members extends across three vertical wires 22 of the front panel 2, with the straight wire 5a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member being in line with a vertical wire 22 between the two connected vertical wires 22. One vertical wire 22 which is not attached to the V-shaped reinforcing member or covered by it is located between each V-shaped reinforcing member. Each bent wire 6 of the V-shaped reinforcing member is connected to the straight wire 5a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member and one of the straight wires 5b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member, which is attached to the front panel 2. Figure 6 illustrates a front view of a second embodiment of a fence panel 11 comprising a wire mesh front panel 12 and thirteen V-shaped reinforcing members 14 which are each connected to the front panel 12 via one coil 13a. Each V-shaped reinforcing member 14 is formed from three straight wires 15a, 15b and two bent wires 16. Two straight wires 15b run along each end of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14 and the third 15a runs along the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14. Each bent wire 16 zig-zags between a straight wire 15b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14 and the third straight wire 15a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14. The straight wire 15a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14 is attached to the front panel 12 and the two straight wires 15b at the ends of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14 are positioned away from the front panel 12. A lower portion of the V-shaped reinforcing members 14 and a lower edge of the front panel 12 are shown placed in a foundation 17. A lower portion 18 of the V-shaped reinforcing members 14 extends beyond the lower edge of the front panel 12 and into the foundation 17. The fence panel 11 is connected to an adjacent fence panel 11 by a coil 13b. Figure 7 illustrates a side view of the second embodiment of a fence panel 11 comprising a wire mesh front panel 12 and a plurality of V-shaped reinforcing members 14 which are each connected to the front panel 12 via a coil 13a. Each V-shaped reinforcing member 14 is formed from three straight wires 15a, 15b and two bent wires 16. The straight wires 15b furthest from the front panel 12 are the ends of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14. The straight wire 15a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14 is connected to the front panel 12. The side profile of the bent wires 16 can be seen. Each bent wire 16 alternates between the straight wire 15a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14 and one of the two straight wires 15b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14. The bent wire comprises fourteen bends resulting in a zig-zag effect down the height of the fence panel 11. Each bend is approximately 120 degrees. The V-shaped reinforcing members 14 and a lower edge of the front panel 12 are shown placed in a foundation 17. A lower portion 18 of the V-shaped reinforcing members 14 extends beyond the lower edge of the front panel 12 and into the foundation 17. Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of the second embodiment of a fence panel comprising a plurality of V-shaped reinforcing members 14 attached at the rear side of the wire mesh front panel 12. The V-shaped reinforcing members 14 are arranged so that the straight wire at the apex of each of the V-shaped reinforcing members 14 is attached to the front panel 12 via a coil 13a. The two straight wires at the end of each of the V-shape reinforcing members 14 are furthest from the front panel 12. Each bent wire is connected to the top of the straight wire at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14 and then bends and extends to a straight wire at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14. The bent wire then bends again and extends to the straight wire at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 14. This is repeated along the entire height of the V-shaped reinforcing member with the bent wires connected to the bottom of the straight wires at the end of the reinforcing member 14. A lower portion of the V-shaped reinforcing members 14 and a lower edge of the front panel 12 are shown placed in a foundation 17. A lower portion 18 of the V-shaped reinforcing members 14 extends beyond the lower edge of the front panel 12 and into the foundation 17. Figure 9 illustrates a close up view of two adjacent fence panels of the second embodiment. The two adjacent fence panels are attached using a coil 13b which connects the adjacent outer vertical wires 32 of the wire mesh front panel of each fence panel. Two V-shaped reinforcing members can be partly seen. The straight wire 15a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member is attached to a vertical wire 32 of the front panel via a coil 13a. The two straight wires 15b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member are each in line with a vertical wire 32 of the front panel but are located behind and away from the front panel and so are not directly connected to the front panel. The coil 13a is attached such that the straight wire 15a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member and the vertical wire 32 of the wire mesh front panel are within the coil 13a and the coil 13a is positioned between each horizontal wire 31 of the front panel. The bent wires 16 of the V-shaped reinforcing member are connected to the straight wire 15a at the apex and a straight wire 15b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member. The V-shaped reinforcing member spans three vertical wires 32 of the front panel, and is in direct attachment to one of the three wires. Figure 10 illustrates a plan view of the second embodiment of a fence panel. The top section illustrates a plan view of two adjacent fence panels attached using a coil 13b. Each fence panel has thirteen V-shaped reinforcing members 14 attached to a wire mesh front panel 12 using coils 13a. The foundations 17 into which the fence panels are placed in use extend out past the V-shaped reinforcing members 14 at the back of the fence panel and past the front panel at the front of the fence panel. A section of the fence panel comprising three V-shaped reinforcing members in shown in a circle, this section is shown in more detail in the larger circle below. The more detailed view illustrates a section of the fence panel which comprises three V-shaped reinforcing members attached to the wire mesh front panel 12 of the fence panel. Each V-shaped reinforcing member is attached at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member using a coil 13a. The straight wire 15a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member is attached to one vertical wire 32 of the front panel 12. The V-shaped reinforcing member extends across three vertical wires 32, with the two straight wires 15b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member being in line with two vertical wires 32, one either side of the vertical wire 32 connected to the straight wire 15a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member. In this arrangement between every vertical wire 32 that is directly connected to the V-shaped reinforcing member there are two vertical wires 32 which are not directly attached to the V-shaped reinforcing member. However, all of the vertical wires 32 have a V-shaped reinforcing member extending over them. Each bent wire 16 of the V-shaped reinforcing member is connected to the straight wire 15a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member, which is attached to the front panel 12, and one of the straight wires 15b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member. Figure 11 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the V-shaped reinforcing member 44 in isolation. The V-shaped reinforcing member 44 has three straight wires 45a, 45b, wherein one of the straight wires 45a is located at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 44 and two straight wires 45b are located at the ends of the V-shaped reinforcing member 44. A bent wire 46 is used to connect the straight wire 45a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 44 to each of the straight wires 45b at the ends of the V-shaped reinforcing member 44. The bent wires 46 connect to the straight wires 45a, 45b at connection points 49. The angle of the bends of the bent wires 46 is approximately 45 degrees. When viewed moving downwardly along the V-shaped reinforcing member 44, the distance of the bent wire 46 when connecting the straight wire 45b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member 44 to the straight wire 45a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 44 is longer than the distance of the bent wire 46 going from the straight wire 45a at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member 44 to the straight wire 45b at the end of the V-shaped reinforcing member 44.

Claims

1. A fence panel comprising:a wire mesh front panel; anda plurality of reinforcing members connected to said front panel, wherein the reinforcing members extend beyond an edge of the front panel, wherein the reinforcing members extend away from the surface of the front panel and wherein the distance from the centre of one reinforcing member to the centre of an adjacent reinforcing member is less than 60 cm.

2. The fence panel according to Claim 1, wherein the reinforcing members extend along more than 80% of the height of the front panel, optionally along 100% of the height of the front panel.

3. The fence panel according to Claim lor Claim 2, comprising more than five reinforcing members, optionally more than seven.

4. The fence panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the reinforcing members extend beyond an edge of the front panel by 10 to 75 cm, optionally 15 to 50 cm.

5. The fence panel according to anyone of Claims Ito 4, wherein each of the plurality of reinforcing members is attached to the front panel using one or more coils.

6. The fence panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of reinforcing members are attached to one side of the front panel, optionally wherein the reinforcing members are attached to the back side of the front panel.

7. The fence panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the reinforcing members are substantially parallel to one another.

8. The fence panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the distance between two adjacent reinforcing members centre to centre is 10 to 50 cm, optionally wherein the distance between two adjacent reinforcing members centre to centre is 15 to 30 cm.

9. The fence panel according to anyone of Claims Ito 8, wherein each of the plurality of reinforcing members extends across at least three vertical wires of the front panel.

10. The fence panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, wherein one or more of the plurality of reinforcing members comprise a plurality of wires connected to oneanother, optionally wherein the plurality of reinforcing members are formed from a wire mesh.

11. The fence panel according to Claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of reinforcing members are V-shaped and comprise at least 3 straight wires that are connected to one another, wherein one straight wire extends along the apex of the V-shape and the other two extend along each end of the V-shape.

12. The fence panel according to Claim 11, wherein the wire extending along the apex of the V-shape is connected to a wire extending along an end of the V-shape by a bent wire, optionally wherein the bent wire comprises one or more bends in which the internal angle is 40 degrees to 130 degrees, optionally 50 to 120 degrees.

13. The fence panel according to Claim 12, wherein the bent wire of the V-shaped reinforcing member connects to each of the adjacent straight wires of the V-shaped reinforcing member at 4 to 12 connection points, optionally 6 to 10 connection points.

14. The fence panel according to any one of Claims 11 to 13, wherein each of the plurality of V-shaped reinforcing members is attached to the front panel:a. at the apex of the V-shaped reinforcing member; orb. at one or both of the ends of the V-shaped reinforcing member.

15. The fence panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 14, wherein the length of the reinforcing members is 200 to 400 cm, optionally 250 to 350 cm and / or wherein the width of the reinforcing members is between 5 and 30 cm, optionally between 10 and 20 cm.

16. The fence panel according to anyone of Claims Ito 15, wherein the reinforcing members extend over >50% of the area of the front panel, optionally over >60%.

17. The fence panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 16, wherein the mesh of the front panel comprises a plurality of horizontal wires with spacings of 5 to 300 mm, optionally 10 to 200 mm,between adjacent horizontal wires and / or a plurality of vertical wires with spacings of 50 to 150 mm, optionally 75 to 100 mm, between adjacent vertical wires18. A fence comprising the fence panel of any one of Claims 1 to 17.

19. The fence of Claim 18 wherein at least a portion of the reinforcing members that extends beyond the edge of the front panel is positioned within a foundation, optionally wherein a bottom edge of the front panel is positioned within the foundation.

20. The fence of Claim 19 wherein the foundation is between 10 and 75 cm deep, optionally between 20 and 50 cm deep and / or wherein the foundation is located at least partially underground.

21. The fence of any one of Claims 18 to 20, wherein the fence comprises no fence posts.

22. A kit of parts for creating a fence panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 17 comprising:a. a wire mesh front panel;b. a plurality of reinforcing members; andc. a plurality of coils.

23. A method for assembling a fence panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 17 comprising:a. attaching a first reinforcing member to the front panel; andb. attaching the remainder of the plurality of reinforcing members such that the distance from the centre of one reinforcing member to the centre of an adjacent reinforcing member is less than 60 cm,wherein each reinforcing member is attached such that it extends beyond an edge of the front panel.

24. A method for assembling a fence comprising the fence panels according to Claims 1 to 17 comprising:a. placing each fence panel into a hole such that at least part of the plurality of reinforcing members that extend below an edge of the front panel are positioned within the hole;b. filling the hole with a suitable material to form a foundation; andc. connecting adjacent fence panels to one another.

25. The method of Claim 24 wherein the bottom edge of the front panel is positioned within the foundation and / or wherein adjacent fence panels are connected by attaching a coil to the outermost vertical wire of the front panel of each fence panel.

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