Some children in Mount Pearl found a discouraging sign of the times on their outdoor sports equipment this week.

City staff placed notices on their basketball hoops and hockey nets, saying they must be moved or workers will remove them.

Mount Pearl Mayor Randy Simms says the nets shouldn't be on the streets.

"It is against the rules and regulations of the city and it is against the Highway Traffic Act,” he said.

But Simms also notes that the sports gear is getting hooked in the city's new robotic-arm garbage trucks.

The mayor acknowledges that the wording on the notices may have been a little harsh.

"I don't think we're confiscating people's nets, contrary to what the notice said,” Simms said.

The city is now drafting a kinder, gentler advisory.

But the message is not going over well with some parents, like Jamie Cranford.

"I saw it on Facebook last night and I thought it was a bit much, actually, when you think about it,” Cranford said.

“I mean, don't kids play?"