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Original poster

Man in a car parked outside my house all afternoon

305 replies

PyongyangKipperbang · 09/06/2026 17:13

Since at least 2 pm. Terraces with on street parked so directly outside the house. He is has just been sat there all the time, engine on for half an hour then off again, presumably to stop the battery draining if he is using something electrical.

There are plenty of car parks in the area so no reason to be here. He saw my come back and go in the house so presumably its nothing to do with me, but its freaking me out a bit (and pissed me off as I had to park on another road!).

We are not on a road with shops or a school or doctors etc so no reason to be waiting there for someone for such a long time!

Worth taking the reg in case he comes back tomorrow do we think?

OP posts:
Steeleydan · 09/06/2026 21:07

PyongyangKipperbang · 09/06/2026 20:59

There is a guy down the road on the other side, who has been "on the club" for years with a question mark over how disabled he actually is. His wife, who I am friends with, left him a while ago and implied he isnt as bad as he claims and she was sick of carrying him, so it could be that. But he never leaves the house, think I have seen him once in 6 months, his son still lives there and I think took over what his mum had been doing before she left (which was everything according to her!). There isnt a neighbourhood group, or if there is I am not on it.

He finally left at about 7 and hadnt appeared to have been working, no laptop etc.

I wouldnt have noticed him at all if it wasnt for the fact that he was right outside my front door! I dont have time to be curtain twitching, I have one day where I am not at work or caring to get my shit done and that was today. DD mentioned it when she got in "Why there is a guy just sitting outside the house?!".

Its very very quiet here so perhaps thats why its more noticeable, if I lived in a busy town it would be different.

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I'd have to ask him, he could be a PI hired to check on a cheating spouse!

Original poster
PyongyangKipperbang · 09/06/2026 21:05

Viviennemary · 09/06/2026 21:01

He might be an uncover detective surveying one of your neighbours.

He wasnt very subtle if he was then!

OP posts:
Viviennemary · 09/06/2026 21:01

He might be an uncover detective surveying one of your neighbours.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 09/06/2026 21:00

Spy - one of your neighbours is in cahoots with Russia, I say!

Original poster
PyongyangKipperbang · 09/06/2026 20:59

Steeleydan · 09/06/2026 19:07

He could work for the social, have you any 'disabled ' neighbours claiming disability, but got climbing up ladders, biking and all manner of activities?
The have undercover officers watching these people, they get photo evidence and prosecute, benefits fraud is a big thing, these officers rely on tip offs

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There is a guy down the road on the other side, who has been "on the club" for years with a question mark over how disabled he actually is. His wife, who I am friends with, left him a while ago and implied he isnt as bad as he claims and she was sick of carrying him, so it could be that. But he never leaves the house, think I have seen him once in 6 months, his son still lives there and I think took over what his mum had been doing before she left (which was everything according to her!). There isnt a neighbourhood group, or if there is I am not on it.

He finally left at about 7 and hadnt appeared to have been working, no laptop etc.

I wouldnt have noticed him at all if it wasnt for the fact that he was right outside my front door! I dont have time to be curtain twitching, I have one day where I am not at work or caring to get my shit done and that was today. DD mentioned it when she got in "Why there is a guy just sitting outside the house?!".

Its very very quiet here so perhaps thats why its more noticeable, if I lived in a busy town it would be different.

OP posts:
CheeseWisely · 09/06/2026 20:59

OneThreadOnlybyN · 09/06/2026 20:22

'For a bit' isn't the same as 'for hours on end'

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But the OP’s mysterious car was parked on a public road! There are hundreds of reasons he could have been there, many of them detailed in this thread!

Doris86 · 09/06/2026 20:54

Man sits in car parked on public road shocker.

There are any genuine number of genuine reasons he could be there Mumsnet really does make me laught the things some people post about.

user1476613140 · 09/06/2026 20:50

Loub1987 · 09/06/2026 20:23

I can honestly say that once I enter my home I don’t notice anything on my street. Probably wouldn’t as I walk up the street either. Why do you care if someone is there? They aren’t bothering or threatening you.

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If they're loitering at the junction to a street for no apparent reason then I tend to notice when they sit there regularly....it starts to look out of place.

Greenwitchart · 09/06/2026 20:47

You are getting a lot of criticism OP but I understand your concerns.

I would definitely notice if someone random parked in front of my house and stayed inside the car for hours with the engine running because it is genuinely odd behaviour.

I would take a picture of the car and licence plate and it is silly of people to suggest you approach him.

user1476613140 · 09/06/2026 20:46

OneThreadOnlybyN · 09/06/2026 20:17

report it to the council he's registered with.

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Thanks, I need to get his reg. The thing is he tends to do this more in the winter months. Have hardly seem him in the last three or four months. But he does occasionally show up and just sits. Engine turned off. Sits for ten minutes roughly then drives off. Always around 7.50am. Sometimes just before 2pm as well. Seems to be roughly similar times every time he shows up. No one approaches the car, and he never leaves it. Bloody weird.

Katy123g · 09/06/2026 20:36

OneThreadOnlybyN · 09/06/2026 20:18

Enjoy your planet. I'm happier with one where people watch out for weird things & odd behaviour 💁🏻‍♀️

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Well this just confirms it.

A man sat in his car is weird and odd. Ok

WeirdyBeardyMarrowBabyLady · 09/06/2026 20:35

Alittlefrustrated · 09/06/2026 18:43

That fraud investigator shouldn't be telling you what he does, unless it's your DH.

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Why not? They’re not the security services.

Dolphinsarejerks · 09/06/2026 20:34

EmailsaysOOO · 09/06/2026 20:17

How are undercover police meant to be different from the police? Just curious

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Really?

For a start undercover police generally don’t drive around in a blue & yellow vehicle with the word POLICE written in massive letters on the side. Bit of a giveaway in my experience.

They also generally don’t wear a police officers uniform, makes them look a bit like police officers.

They tend to wear plain clothing and drive a non marked vehicle. However the 20 antennas on the roof usually gives them away a bit.

ladykale · 09/06/2026 20:23

If you have the aircon on don’t you have to turn the engine on? That might be why he was turning it on and off. Can’t see how it bothers you. Go into your house and confine with your day..!

Loub1987 · 09/06/2026 20:23

PyongyangKipperbang · 09/06/2026 17:36

That is not the main issue at all, and I think you know that. I am well aware that I dont own the road.

But a man who I have never seen before sitting directly outside my house all afternoon is weird and I refuse to believe that I am the only person who would be slightly freaked out by it!

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I can honestly say that once I enter my home I don’t notice anything on my street. Probably wouldn’t as I walk up the street either. Why do you care if someone is there? They aren’t bothering or threatening you.

ladykale · 09/06/2026 20:22

Responses here are insane. I’ve parked up before and taken a series of work calls from my car as the signal often drops in and out if driving or if I need to refer to certain materials

OneThreadOnlybyN · 09/06/2026 20:22

CheeseWisely · 09/06/2026 19:45

Jesus have you nothing better to do. There was a van parked in our actual drive for a bit this morning (it’s the whole width of the house, 4 vehicles wide, and opens straight onto a lane that has no other safe parking). I was pottering about in the house with DS. Whoever it was caused me no inconvenience or harm and went on their way after whatever reason they’d been parked there for was done, I assume they had some business with a neighbour. It genuinely wouldn’t have entered my head to call the police, I hadn’t given it a second thought until reading this thread.

'For a bit' isn't the same as 'for hours on end'

Imdunfer · 09/06/2026 20:20

Howyoudoings · 09/06/2026 17:24

Public road police will not do anything because his not committing any crime.

He is. It's not legal to run your engine while parked up on a road. Haven't read the thread, apologies if this has already been pointed out.

AHalfling · 09/06/2026 20:19

I've done this before now when my daughter has been at an audition or rehearsal somewhere I don't know well. It's often not worth me going home and if I need do some work it's the easiest thing to do

DH did similar recently while the dog was having an operation at the vets a couple of hours from home.

Neither of us would feel able to work in a coffee shop due to confident/data protection concerns. So just parking up somewhere is easiest

OneThreadOnlybyN · 09/06/2026 20:18

Katy123g · 09/06/2026 20:16

I must live on a different planet to some of these posters because what on earth 😂

A bloke sat in his car outside a house has people suggesting the police are called. Police!!

If someone was parked outside mine I might be vaguely curious as to why, but that's it. I'd just move on with my day. Honestly 🙄

Enjoy your planet. I'm happier with one where people watch out for weird things & odd behaviour 💁🏻‍♀️

TheWineoftheChicken · 09/06/2026 20:17

ThreadGuardDog · 09/06/2026 20:01

They do where I live. We are opposite a secondary school and after complaints to 101 they monitor regularly.

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I’d be happy for ours to just come for the burglaries to be honest.

CatamaranViper · 09/06/2026 20:17

Could be having a cheeky 'lay-by day'?

You know, when you tell everyone you're off to work, but also call in sick from work and just have a day to yourself to doom scroll and online shop?

EmailsaysOOO · 09/06/2026 20:17

Dolphinsarejerks · 09/06/2026 18:42

Undercover police are not remotely subtle.

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How are undercover police meant to be different from the police? Just curious

OneThreadOnlybyN · 09/06/2026 20:17

user1476613140 · 09/06/2026 20:05

Private hire taxi does this opposite the junction into my street. I pull my blind down in the morning now so he has nothing to see. F*cking creepy. No need to sir for fifteen to twenty minutes regularly opposite a junction. There's a shopping precinct a short walk away with loads of parking spaces! No need.

report it to the council he's registered with.

Katy123g · 09/06/2026 20:16

I must live on a different planet to some of these posters because what on earth 😂

A bloke sat in his car outside a house has people suggesting the police are called. Police!!

If someone was parked outside mine I might be vaguely curious as to why, but that's it. I'd just move on with my day. Honestly 🙄