Neighbour blocked shared drive deliberately, AIBU or are they?

Again, get legal advice.
Their behaviour is vexatious, and their refusal to allow a video doorbell is to conceal this.
Put a discreet camera immediately in your windows upstairs and downstairs, with a wide range. They are inexpensive.

Let THEM take you to court over it.
I think their behaviour definitely warrants legal advice and recording.
Take a picture of your letter and of you putting it through their letterbox. Or get recorded delivery.

They are used to their own way.
Time to push back calmly but hard.

Can you mount the doorbell sideways so it captures down the drive instead?

I'd be livid about the whole situation btw. But I'd also be wary about having to live next door to such unreasonable people.

Ask them why they moved the car and blocked the rubbish clearance before you put anything in writing. You may not get the truth but you will be better able to address the issue if you know more about their motivation.

Just be aware once you start sending solicitors' letters you would probably have to declare a dispute when you come to sell. It's possible the previous owners avoided having to declare it by not doing anything formal. Formal might be the correct way forward but weigh it up before you proceed. And I think letting them feel they are "win'" territory by parking at the bottom is probably not helping unfortunately.

And in future you join the hordes of people who won't touch shared driveway homes with a bargepole.

I’d also be leaving the shed panels out too hopefully they end up through his windscreen when this storm hits, karmaaa

I would do one of two things (after sending a letter).

1. If he was blocking my side of the drive I would just park behind him - blocking him in so he had to come and ask you to move it
2. Knock and ask him to move his car so you can get yours on the drive.

OP in the nicest possibly way, grow a pair. Get the cheeky fuckers told, I’d be pulling in and out of that garage multiple times a day until they get the picture and get the ring doorbell up, let them take it up with a solicitor if their bothered. Sometimes you’ve got to react to cunt with cunt unfortunately.

This. You should have spoken to him about the driveway as soon as you moved in. Absolutely no way would I park on the road when I have paid for my own driveway!

Remind him the shared drive is part of the property you purchased and you will pursue the matter legally if he continues to behave in this way. Follow through with a solicitor's letter if he ignores you.

There is no absolute definition of a "dispute" though. If it's a minor disagreement (such as neighbour asks for doorbell to be taken down, neighbour agrees) or a one-off like a noisy party that doesn't have to be disclosed.

The stuff about the scaffolding though, or any official involvement from legal representation/police etc. does.

If there have been previous disputes which have escalated shouldn’t the previous owner have disclosed them on the conveyancing forms ?

Take this up with your solicitor if it was not declared at the time of purchase. This clause is vital on purchase documents and you could, in these circumstances, have a very good claim against the person you bought from.

Leave the rubbish where it is. It was there choice to make it impossible for it to be collected. You could look into getting a camera which doesn't cover their front door.

by law, the person who sold you the property had to declare any issues within the past 5 years. its strikes me that they didnt and therefore you have to take this up with your solicitor and with them. its despicable of them really, they knew his behaviour would put you off so dumped and ran.

as far as a camera is concerned install cctv rather than a ring doorbell because that way you can angle it so as not to disturb his peace.

but you really must, starting today get your car onto that drive and either make him move over or make him to knock for you to move.

i have 20 years experience dealing with neighbour nuisance. this is how it starts. it then escalates and you will want to move. so dont let it.

They sound unreasonable, unless you’ve left rubbish in the way for an unreasonably extended period, or somehow been bad neighbours, but even then, they should have tackled any issue directly rather than getting in the way of your contractors.

Given that they have form for being difficult with this kind of thing, I would have scheduled the removal for when you were present. Easy to say with hindsight I know.

There are two issues - one is that you need to be able to enjoy regular access to your garage by car, and you also need to sort out this rubbish removal. I would talk to them face to face if you can, when you return.

Check your house deeds is it definitely shared?
If so yes, of course you need to have words with them but stay calm. Why wouldn't you it's your drive too but check.

What a weirdo! It makes you wonder what goes on in some people's heads. It was a minor inconvenience to have to move his car, but blocking the drive was just as much work as moving out of the way would have been, and now he's antagonised his neighbour. If the rubbish removers had been less careful, they could well have tried to move things past his car and damaged it, and even if he got them to cover the repairs, he'd still have had the headache of taking it in and being without a car. Unfortunately, he's a petty idiot!

I’d send them a strongly worded solicitors letter telling them that the next step will be to sue them for preventing lawful access.

Get a camera up asap and speak to a solicitor about how to handle this.
I doubt they are allowed to block your reasonable use of the space.

You need a divider up, like a planter between the garages so you don't have to park on the road.

Get proof and then go for harassment and prevention of access via a letter.

They are bullies. Only one way to deal with them.
Cameras up recordibg everything.

Was their conflict with the previous owners?
Worth checking out with your solicitor as it should have been declared.

The suggestion of small claims court for costing you by their road blockage, especially as you have photos and the testimony of the removals man, is a very good idea.

Thanks, yes, this has been addressed.

It isn't made for two. It's a shared driveway. It's a normal single driveway width but both houses have use of it. It's only double width at the end where the garages are. So neighbour parking his car on the actual driveway, not in front of his garage, blocked access entirely.

Makes me wonder if the previous house owner declared their dispute with the neighbours over that scaffolding or not.

Yep. What @Firefly100 said

Use your drive to get to your garage and park your car on your property

Knock on his door every time he blocks you in, which is an offence, and every time he blocks you off

You don't have to explain, just knock and ask him to move his car. He knows what he is doing so make knocking on his door part of your leaving and arriving home ritual

You have allowed him to silently dictate to you. Stop doing that

I think its time to introduce your neighbours to the concept of FAFO.
I would make sure I park in front of my garage on my drive every single time and knock on your neighbours door and make him move his car if you cannot access your parking spot every single time (note, if you cannot access it only, not if it is difficult, if it is just difficult, do it anyway - with care. If he starts to ignore your knocks, park behind him on the shared drive blocking him in with a note on his car that he has blocked your parking space and was not available so you have had no choice but to park where you have. Dont be in a hurry to remove it either if he knocks on your door at 6am to get to work - take your time to get dressed etc.
I'd consider taking him to small claims court for the cost of the removal van returning a second time too. What he did was spiteful and deliberate. Even if he had refused access to the removal people on the day, they could have parked on the road and carried the stuff off but he deliberately blocked them off. Make sure you have your legal documents on your access rights on your side, get a statement from your removal company on what happened, the pictures they took and go for it.

He probably went there as he's a normal, polite sort of person and he needed to park on a shared driveway for 15 minutes to collect rubbish. Therefore he wanted to flag it up with dickhead neighbour,not ask permission as such, in case there might be a problem eg getting ndn's car out. And there was a problem, an ongoing one, ie the neighbour is an unreasonable trouble causer.

You've reminded me,OP, why I'm very thankful not to share a driveway. Go the legal route if you have to.

there is no need to write a letter that they will ignore. actions speak louder than words. when he takes his car off the drive move yours up to be outside your garage. if he rarely moves the car park yours on the drive and explain that you would move it out of the way if only he would move over.

stop standing for his shit. they behave like knobs because they are being enabled to. its a shared drive and at the moment you are excluded so you have to take back control of the situation. make him speak to you about it by blocking him if you cant get your car up to your garage. we had a shared drive it worked like a dream because both of us were considerate and acted like adults.