Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

10 YEAR PARKING DISPUTE WITH NEIGHBOUR.

419 replies

eastafricanomad · 01/02/2023 17:23

Hi all,

I need some serious advice. I'm probably writing this in the heat of the moment so please ignore any theatrics. Let me break it down...

We've lived in this property for about 17 years. Our charming neighbour moved in on our tenth year. She is our attached neighbour on the right hand side. We all have allocated parking - what is the problem you ask?

See the thing is, we live in a cul-de-sac. Every house has an allocated parking spot and we have several visitor spots (families with multiple cars use these visitor spots as permanent parking spots and it doesn't appear to be an issue with anyone including me). My neighbour, has an allocated parking spot at the back of her house, but due to her mobility issues - she parks in front of her house on a public highway - again, no issues with this.

There is still space for another vehicle to be able to park directly parallel to her with no issues of blocking her car or her house. Yet she has proceeded to block off this empty potential parking space because she doesn't want anyone 'parking in front of her house' - bear in mind, this is a public highway. No one can reserve rights to a public highway.

Living in a cul-de-sac, naturally parking is tight despite the allocated spots we have. Households do sometimes have more than one vehicle and everyone else on the street is incredibly understanding.

However, this woman, has proceeded to put CONES! In an empty slot on the public highway, not reserving it for any reason as she has one car. No daily visitors - her sole reason is 'I don't want anyone parking in front of my house' (???) ITS A PUBLIC HIGHwaaaaay. Anyway.

Now that we are adding a vehicle to our household, this has only really started to irritate me now. We've ignored her a long time, DESPITE her harassing anyone that parks there. She has harassed my family, construction workers, delivery drivers - you name it! I'm at my wits ends. The straw that broke the camels back was this week, when we had a lovely gentleman come out from Hillary's to do measurements for my blinds. She left a note on his car and yelled at him when he left my property.

I've spoken to the local council, they have confirmed - no one can reserve rights to a public highway. I've spoken to the police, they have confirmed - this is illegal. I've sought legal advice, again - confirmed my perspective.

What on earth do I do with these cones? We work 7 days a week in my household, and coming home after a long shift, moving cones to park my car is proving tiresome! It's not even the inconvenience, its the AUDACITY!

Am I being unreasonable? What would you suggest? What would you do with these cones? I want to put them in my boot and dump them 500 miles from my house. Any advice on this issue would be helpful.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Rosie22xx · 02/02/2023 18:03

Can't her car get towed if parked incorrectly? Just a thought...

WotsitsMadeIn1927 · 02/02/2023 17:39

Keep hiding the cones and ignore her. Tell anyone who visits you to also ignore her. She will soon get bored.

AllotmentTime · 02/02/2023 16:34

Diagram provided, I just changed my vote to YANBU….. BUT turns out you didn’t include the tree in the diagram. So now I’m pondering changing it back 😛

(Seriously though, go knock on her door and have an actual conversation about it…)

Original poster
eastafricanomad · 02/02/2023 16:20

@ApocalypseNowt Great idea. If there was enough of them, I would put them all in the shape of a massive MIDDLE FINGER!

OP posts:
Original poster
eastafricanomad · 02/02/2023 15:59

@MrJollyLivesNextDoor No because I am in Bristol, this just got very scary...

OP posts:
blankittyblank · 02/02/2023 15:09

@eastafricanomad this story has been picked up by the Sun! I don't know if what to get it removed

SerialFaffer · 02/02/2023 06:48

eastafricanomad · 01/02/2023 17:46

@Nightynightnight Can I be accused of theft if I remove objects obstructing a public highway? Grey area... I would consider it an act of service.

I can’t imagine that this hasn’t been said already, but don’t permanently remove the cones (because she could likely argue theft), just walk them round to the back of her house and put them in her space where she doesn’t park - petty to an extent, but she certainly couldn’t report it to anyone.

tuvamoodyson · 02/02/2023 06:30

Well, I was going to suggest you stick them in your boot and dump them (responsibly!) somewhere…I would do this every single day…

RedHelenB · 02/02/2023 05:30

eastafricanomad · 01/02/2023 18:03

@LampLamp Yup, they have a dedicated highways contact number and it is an 0800 number unfortunately.

O800 numbers are free.

NumberTheory · 02/02/2023 03:52

If the cones have a hole in the top, stack them up, thread a bike chain through them, then lock them to the tree by the parking spot.

Oilyoilyoilgob · 02/02/2023 02:24

Tie ribbons to the cones and when your neighbour is outside, do a ribbon cutting ceremony - declaring to your cul de sac that ‘this space is now officially open to the public’.
Buy extra large comedy scissors for added oomph.

Blinds to go are good for blinds.

Ineedwinenow · 01/02/2023 23:21

asbo*

Ineedwinenow · 01/02/2023 23:20

you have a few options! Nick the cones, chuck them in her garden while shes watching or….. do one better and buy a cone costume from amazon and sit outside her house and wave or hope she’s a Harry Potter fan and turn them into the sorting hat

ta-da! Problem sorted

oh and get an absolute for the bat shit crazy neighbour whilst your at it

10 YEAR PARKING DISPUTE WITH NEIGHBOUR.
10 YEAR PARKING DISPUTE WITH NEIGHBOUR.
MrJollyLivesNextDoor · 01/02/2023 23:15

This sounds like someone I know

Are you in Bristol by any chance? 🤣

earsup · 01/02/2023 23:09

Our old neighbour used to do this with cones, but our road leads to a small football stadium so one day after being tired of his cones, we pointed the cones out to some police on way to stadium....they chucked them in the back of their van....end of cones and problem !!

ElegantlyTouched · 01/02/2023 23:04

Drop the cones into the local police station as lost property. That way you're not stealing them.

TheOriginalEmu · 01/02/2023 22:56

eastafricanomad · 01/02/2023 18:39

@ScroogeMcDuckling But the thing is, she has had the council come out and survey her property, you can not install a disability parking bay on public highway, it isn't even a legitimate parking space - let alone try and make it disability friendly. Like it just can't happen.

Of course you can install a disabled space on a public highway. There’s one outside my house.
she is an annoyance, no doubt. But to cause access issues for a disabled person by putting cones in front of her path is cruel and wrong.
just move the cones. Or get rid of the cones even. But don’t make her life as a disabled person harder. Even if you think she’s faking, people with mobility cars are quite severely impaired and if she isn’t faking…just don’t do that.

JoeBlogger · 01/02/2023 22:56

Just reading some of these responses has livened up my evening, obvs some people really love the sport and reading about it has made me feel a right drip over my lacklustre response!

I have been on the receiving end of parking nastiness when parking for work. When I got truly hacked off, one poor woman asked me why I was parking in her street outside her house, I told her I was parking because it was where my journey ended. Her face was an absolute study.

TheHouseElf · 01/02/2023 22:55

Is she a council tenant or does she own the property? If she's a council tenant then she may be in breach of her tenancy agreement by causing a nuisance to her neighbours. Perhaps try and pursue that if you can - her shouting at other neighbours and visitors is anti-social behaviour surely. The rest of the cul-de-sac have a right to peace and quiet and enjoyment of their own home without excessive disturbance from others (ie her).

Redbushteaforme · 01/02/2023 22:52

Move the cones so they don't block the parking space (don't take them away as I think that might be seen as theft). Park your car in the space if you need to. And repeat as necessary.

QuietOne121 · 01/02/2023 22:48

Set alarm for 3am, steal cones, drive to the sea, throw cones in the sea, drive home, bed, the perfect crime.

typopro · 01/02/2023 22:45

This thread is gold. It's got everything- 1.parking nightmare neighbour,

  1. Potential disability benefit fraud
  2. The price of Hillary's Blinds
  3. 0800 number being used by local council
  4. Green Party councillor too soft
somuchtolearnabout · 01/02/2023 22:44

Play her at her own game. She’s created fake council stickers for her poxy little cones, go one further - create a fake letter from the local council telling her what she’s doing is illegal and to “cease and desist” messing around with THOSE FCKING CONES

Confusednewmum1 · 01/02/2023 22:43

The cones are effectively litter out them in the bin and that’s that. She will get tired buying new ones

Justmeandthedog1 · 01/02/2023 22:42

Look up your local Councillor or Councillors online. Email them.State the problem. State who you have contacted State action taken ( nothing)
Do include your neighbour’s verbal abuse to drivers.
State what you want your Councillor to do.
If no action go to your MP next.
Write to the Council Chairman ( person) saying you are now involving your MP as they have failed in their duty.
Never phone, email so you have a record of their responses , or not as the case maybe.
I’m a bitch when it comes to things like this. Could tell you about my ex neighbour (CF) and the joyous outcome of that dispute.

Swipe left for the next trending thread