I really need some advice as I’m getting so upset. My husband, myself and our two children live down a narrow public road, approximately a car and a half’s width wide and we’ve lived here for over 20yrs. We have a drive next to our house where we can park two cars. Both houses opposite us do not have parking and choose to park outside their homes. We do not have an issue with this at all, as long as they leave enough room for a “turning circle” for us to be able to get in and out when needed. A problem has now arisen, one of the neighbours opposite (whose mobility is poor) has now got carers calling twice a day, these carers and her family have been blocking our drive by parking across it. I mentioned this politely to her daughter who apologised but it kept happening. On three occasions in a month I was late to work as I couldn’t get out of my drive.
This elderly neighbour then had her car removed as she was physically unable to drive any longer. The carers continued to call and continued to block me in. This is where it gets complicated. My daughter, who’s 20 works two jobs, one of them is working late shifts in the local hospital a couple of times a week. Due to the parking issue, she has up until recently parked in a local village hall some 10minutes walk away, (as does my son). The walk home is often after 11pm and down an unlit road, so it can be scary. When the elderly neighbours car was taken away, my daughter, for two evenings a week parked outside our property, as the space was now free, she was there from approx 11pm - 8:20am the following morning when she left for work. This also helped me, as the carers were now unable to block me in as they couldn’t park opposite our drive but they were still able to park infront of my daughter. Anyhow, the daughter of the elderly lady approached my daughter one morning as she was leaving and told her quite rudely that she could not park infront of her own home and that she must park down on the main road. My daughter explained the situation about her working etc … my daughter parked outside our home one more time, then we received a rather shirty letter from the neighbour stating that our daughter couldn't park there, that she was stopping v the carers doing their jobs etc.. I responded politely but assertively, explaining the situation and that as soon as her mother has her car back, she can once again resuming parking outside her home and my daughter will once again park in the hall as her needs were greater. I explained that during the winter months when it’s dark and raining it would be reassuring for both me and her Dad if she could park outside her own home, after all she does live there. Next thing I know, the neighbour brought her car back, and just left it there as she couldn’t drive it to stop my daughter parking … this then started the whole cycle of us being blocked in again. The other neighbour, a young girl in her late 20’s befriended the elderly neighbour and decided to block us in from her side, I’m assuming only through spite. So last weekend,both myself and my husband were unable to get to work, as she’d gone away for the weekend there was no way of getting the vehicle or moved. When she returned, my husband was in the drive and politely asked her if she could move forward, she did but only after muttering u see her breath. Fast forward to last night, they had a visitor over who completely blocked me in and I needed to go to my mothers house (82yrs). I knocked politely on the front door, no answer. So I went to the back door. The driver answered the door, I asked if he could move his car, he asked why?? I said that he was blocking the drive and I needed to get out. He refused to move, I explained that what he was doing was illegal, he cannot block me in, he said it wasn’t and that he wasn’t moving and closed the door. Wasn’t sure what to do so I called the police and took photos of our problem. Police arrived and were lovely and could instantly see the problem and went to speak to our neighbour. I’m not sure what was said or done but my husband now says that I shouldn’t have called the police that I took it too far, I’m at my wits end and just want to sell up and move … any advice please!