How can i stop them doing this? Is it legal?

[sue_88]

Firstly I want to say they are being really unreasonable and I would go mad if my neighbours kept doing this!

But, I've always been led to believe that it's not illegal if your drive is empty. It's illegal to block you from getting out but not if the drive is clear. I could be wrong but I'd double check that before you take it too far.

Hope I'm wrong and you can stop them!

My understanding is the same.

It's illegal to block an occupied driveway, however if your car isn't there then it's not illegal and the police won't do anything.

However, it can't help putting a call into your local station to ask their advice. Call them direct, don't use up 101 time.

 

[GoldenStars]

Firstly I want to say they are being really unreasonable and I would go mad if my neighbours kept doing this!

But, I've always been led to believe that it's not illegal if your drive is empty. It's illegal to block you from getting out but not if the drive is clear. I could be wrong but I'd double check that before you take it too far.

Hope I'm wrong and you can stop them!

Pretty confident this is true.

Illegal to block access to a highway, but there is no vehicle on the driveway to want access so it is not illegal. Police won't tow that.

Be aware that if you do go to the police neighbour issues must be declared if you sell your house (this assumes you own it and don't rent) which can put potential buyers off. If intending to move in the next year or two I would suck it up to stop it escalating and having to declare a dispute probably.

Any damage to their vehicles is criminal damage. I wouldn't rile them considering how aggressive they seem to be, they don't sound like neighbours I would want to stay living next to.

 

[RaspberryK]

It's definitely illegal, law changed in 2009!
Xx

 

[RachA]

If it was me i would probably do the following:

Ask your parents/in laws if you can borrow their car for the night. Park it on your drive. In the middle of the night fake an emergency where you need to get out of your drive in the car asap. Knock on various doors asking whose the car is outside your door. Then with half a dozen grumbling neighbours knock on the right door and ask if it's theirs and can they move it asap!

We very nearly did this a few years ago - i was 9 months pregnant and some idiot parked across our drive all night and blocked our car in. Thankfully (for him - we knew exactly who had done it) at around 5am it was moved. Had it still been there at 6am we were going to do the above. We did however have the permission of a few of the neighbours to wake them up as these particular neighbours are excessively annoying but are just shy of doing anything illegal.


Failing that - report them. I wouldn't go the whole hog and get a line put in front of your drive as that would mean other people that you want to park their can't. I regularly park outside our drop curb if i'm not going to be in for long or if i am borrowing my parents car. It's a bit like my mum is registered disabled and was considering paying for a disabled space outside their house but this would of meant no-one else could park there so it wasn't worth the hassle.

 

[Eidson23]

Not sure where you all are from, but I can't think of anywhere in the US where that is legal! Occupied driveway or not, you cannot block an entry/exit point to anything. Meaning, if an ambulance can't get up your driveway, then it's considered blocked. If a fire engine can't make it down your road, it's blocked, etc. I think y'all live in England, but I would double check those laws. Either way, calling the police will get that squared away. Legal or not, they'll get sick of you calling and do something about it. You ought to look into the equivalence to a trespass notice. Here, you can have people trespassed off your property. Once trespassed, if they (including their vehicles!) are even an inch on your property, they get arrested. Just saying.

 

[lhancock90]

Thanks girls! We rent i LOVE the idea from Rach A i think that would shame them into stopping doing it! Either way one of us will be driving with a car within the year

 

[Sqwidge]

Speak to your local council, they will be the ones who can help in the long term. Write neighbours a polite note to begin with, and keep a copy so the council can see you've tried. They might be able to paint a white line and would probably gladly put a ticket on their window!
Call the police if you need to get your car out and you need the offending vehicle towed...other than for this they probably won't do anything.
The fact they seem aggressive would put me off confronting them face to face, so I don't envy you.

 

[VikkiD]

that would drive me mad hun. I am pretty sure its illegal I would report them. We dont get on with our neighbours and she as recently put carpet grippers on her fence to stop our cats sitting on it

 

[jenny82]

Can you get a traffic cone or two from somewhere and put it outside? My parents used to do this when I was younger and we lived on a busy road with lots of random cars parking across the driveway.

 

[Noodlebear]

He sounds like a dick. I'd take great pleasure in getting his car towed.

 

[lhancock90]

He sounds like a dick. I'd take great pleasure in getting his car towed.

He really really is.

 

[Sqwidge]

Thanks girls! We rent

Do they rent or own?

 

[lhancock90]

Thanks girls! We rent

Do they rent or own?

I think they own, they've done a lot of renovation lately? Which has been a nightmare since they've been working till gone 11 some nights

x

 

[misspriss]

It appears they have changed the law from PP.

But if a driveway was empty it wasn't illegal to block it? How were people supposed to get home? My driveway is empty when I'm gone, but I should surely love to park in it when I get back...

I would definitely call the police if you are able to do so, that appears illegal. And so rude too!

That would NOT fly where I live, but we have tons of space to park, as does everyone else in the neighborhood. You would have to try and block a drive on purpose, there is so much non-drive-blocking curb available.

 

[Eidson23]

Thanks girls! We rent

Do they rent or own?

I think they own, they've done a lot of renovation lately? Which has been a nightmare since they've been working till gone 11 some nights

x

I would find out if there is a noise ordinance where you live I know here construction HAS to stop at dusk or the police show up

 

[lhancock90]

Thanks girls! We rent

Do they rent or own?

I think they own, they've done a lot of renovation lately? Which has been a nightmare since they've been working till gone 11 some nights

x

I would find out if there is a noise ordinance where you live I know here construction HAS to stop at dusk or the police show up

Thanks hun.

I'm just so sick of them, they know we rent so i swear they are just trying to make us miserable because they dont think there will be any repercussions.

 

[Tasha]

I would document for a couple of weeks, take photos, note date and time etc (if you can get registration then that would probably help too but not essential), then go to the police/council x

 

[CareBear]

I've just had a quick look on the net and it appears this has passed from the police to local authority's. My local councils website states Officers will not enforce dropped kerbs outside residential or business premises unless specifically requested to do so by the owner or occupier of the premises. It then goes on to give the contact details of the parking team. I would have a look on your councils website and see what it says. It may come under penalty charge notice. I would take a note of the contact details and then time he does it call them. He'll soon stop if he keeps getting fined.

 

[maryp0ppins]

Its def the council u need to call.
My oh's aunt has someone park half over her drive for 4 days! She's a hairdresser from home but also goes out to client's homes. She had to gether ppartner to get her car in and out of the drive every day as it wasn't possible for her. She finally rang the council on a sunday and they said they dont tow on sundays but came out and issued a ticket. The owner came ranting at the door demanding to know if she had rang the council and why as there was plenty of room!
She was so calm and told him if there had been plenty of room then the council would not have issued a ticket.

 

[Rachel_C]

The Police won't do anything but if you have a dropped kerb you can request that the council stop people parking there. They may come out and paint a white line or they may not say it's necessary to have one. You and your guests will be able to park there, you just have to ring and report anybody who is not authorised by you and they should come out and ticket or tow it for you. Try searching your local council's website for 'dropped kerb' or 'parking enforcement'.