Neighbours, driveways and stupid police.

[montysma1]

My driveway entrance is double width, leading into my largely monoblocked driveway, which extends to the full width of my house. The entrance and the driveway are accessed over the pavement which has a lowered kerb.

I am plagued by cars doing 3 point turns, either mounting the pavement (best case ) or more commonly, crossing the pavement and driving squarely right into my monoblocked garden as part of their turn. Its annoying when randopm cars do it.

More annoyingly, a woman who comes daily to a house 3 down from ours (I think she might be the granny and might be child caring), uses our driveways habitually for all her turns, and I mean, all 4 wheels in my garden, (head lights beaming into our living room if its dark). Tonight i actually had to sit in the road way waiting for her to reverse out ouf my drive before I could get in to park on it! She actaully drices right past the driveway of the house she is going into (as it is narrow), manouvers in my garden and drives back down the street to park at the house she is going into!

Phoned the police tonight who say this is neither a criminal or civil offence. They are sending a community officer tomorrow to assuage my ranting, although, I did point out thats its not me who is doing it, so why not visit her?

AIBU to phone thenm back and point out that they are talking crap and that the law seems to state "that it is an offence to drive a vehicle over a pavement unless to gain access to private property" As she is not gaining access to my property, nor has she permission to , then surely it is an offence to mount the pavemnt at my house let alone drive right over it onto my property.

My children play in the garden, and know nopt to even so much as oput a toe out onto the pavement. but they cant even be safe in their own garden as according to the police, its perfectly fine for random cars to swing in at speed, reverse and leave again. they said i should phone back if a car hits one of them!

[Startailoforangeandgold]

I don't think YABU if she is actually coming right on to your drive.

As for calling the police the PCSO need something useful to do.

Ours comes and prowls about at school when ever the residents moan about parking.

Parking round school is pretty good judging by most of the moans on here and hasn't altered in 11 years. Just once or twice a year someone moans.

[DottyWottyDooDah]

Tonight i actually had to sit in the road way waiting for her to reverse out ouf my drive before I could get in to park on it!

She doesnt turn round in few seconds, it takes her a minute or two back and forwards

I don't understand.
She is coming onto your driveway, maoevuring around and then reversing off it?
Sounds weird.

[MAYBELATERNOWIMBUSY]

its not an offence and, if someone parks there car in your drive the police will take no action ! think i jest ? family came home , found car parked in their drive called cops , who informed them , sorry , not our problem ! stayed there 4 two weeks .

[AndSuetoo]

Say your town is being covered by two police officers and three community support officers during a shift, the same five people deal with the 999 calls as deal with the 101 calls. There is only one police service, two telephone numbers.

[SavoyCabbage]

I don't know what monoblock is but I would be parking my own car right in the middle of the drive. And I wouldn't wait for her to get out. Block her in.

[RagingDull]

i get that its annoying.
i dont get why the police are getting the flack - they are sending around a PCSO arent they?
they will have a word on your behalf, though why in gods name you cannot just run out when they are doing this and tell them to stop doing it ive no idea, people use the emergency services like personal messenger services these days to sort out petty disputes and call for the most ridiculous of reasons.
the police are an emergency service.
this isnt, by any stretch an emergency.

[AndSuetoo]

By the way, I'm not condoning the behaviour of the neighbour's relative. I just don't see what the authorities could do.

The op needs to stop glaring at people and start to do something to help herself. Firstly, speak to the people involved and if that doesn't work place physical barriers that prevent the unwanted behaviour.

If we lived in a world where the council and police had the time, resources and inclination to intervene with every person using a private drive to turn on it would either be utopia or some kind of authoritarian nightmare.

[CaliforniaLeaving]

Oh jeez I'd be mad about it too. Nosing in across a pavement is one thing but she's taking the piss, seeing she is so bare faced about it and doing it while you are home and trying to avoid your car in the drive.
If they are the crazys on the street I'd got with a chain across and see what happens, then if she still manages to come in, try moving your cars, maybe park one in the front so she can't come by the window and one to the side but not far in so she can't get all the way in (if you have two that is)
Monoblock paving is the really pretty looking driveways, looks like pattern bricks. Seeing someone mentioned they had no idea what it was.
Police have emergency number 999 and none emergency 101 for those who hadn't noticed.
Tufty, I'm amazed someone had the cheek to sleep in your car? Tell us more!

[lljkk]

That is bizarre, OP, hope you sort something out. Trespass for sure. I wonder if she'll just drive over cones if you put them out?

[VivaLeBeaver]

It would boil my piss if someone did this.

If she does it several times a day and takes a while shunting I'd be out there like a flash. Banging on her window politely the first time and telling her to stop doing it. If she carries on then out nut them, get out there and start shouting loudly at her!

[Badvoc]

How incredibly petty!

[TheCunningStunt]

I don't think YABU at all. This would annoy me! We don't have a driveway but would like one.

Have you actually tried talking to her? I don't think it's splice matter tbh but I'd put a simple chain one side to the other. Yes it's spin to you, and she shouldn't do what she does, but it is up to you to prevent it if you want her to stop.

[mistlethrush]

I wonder if you can get something that 'looks' like a stinger but that you can drive over without any ill effect?

[Tee2072]

I am not sure anyone is saying YABU to not want this, or any other person, to do this.

What they are saying is:

A) Why call the police?
and
B) why not just put something up to block your drive?

A row of bollards, a fence, a big dog sat in the middle. Tons of suggestions here that you seem to want to just ignore and get the police to sort.

Only she's done nothing that warrants police time! Maybe trespass, I guess, but even that is a bit shaky, I think.

[ivykaty44]

Pop two or three large bolders 2-3foot high across the entrance but leave enough space for you to get in and out of drive -this would hopefully stop anyone going onto your drive and if they do they will only wreck their own car - probably the bumper if they are not spotted.

[Shagmundfreud]

Next time she does it run out and scream

"GET ORF MY LAND!"

[Otherworld]

Firstly YANBU to be cross about her behaviour - I can't believe how many people think it's OK to drive on to someone else's property to turn round.

I probably would also have had a chat with the police, then been upset they were unable to do anything.

So now, if dealing with local nutters like you are, I'd be looking at cheap boulders along the front to make it more difficult to turn - all the while seething about having to. Hopefully you can leave the blocks up for a couple of months to break her habit then move them again.

Good luck!

[PigletJohn]

I'd go for some nice big planters and flowerpots.

Plastic ones are cheap and light, but you can also get concrete ones that aren't. I paint mine with masonry paint so you can't tell which are plastic, which are clay, and which are concrete.

You can put a plastic one filled with peat where you might want to lift it out of the way for your own car, and concrete one for here to bump or scrape.

Park your own vehicle in the remaining gap.

[THERhubarb]

There are some weird people on Mumsnet of late.

This is hardly a criminal matter and the police, quite frankly, have better things to do.

If you know the person doing it, what is so wrong with approaching her? Or is that too easy an answer? Most problems are solvable with a little communication and I simply cannot fathom why people over-react and want to make it a police matter instead.

I'm sure if you had a word with the lady she would be mortified that her actions upset you.

I have driven and reversed up peoples drives before because once you have turned into a dead end there is little else you can do. Some roads are too narrow to turn around so you need to reverse up a drive. I understand this can be annoying for the owners but so long as the car is not doing any damage I wouldn't have thought it too much of a problem.

I can understand on this occasion that someone doing it every single day is going to irk somewhat, but whilst there are other options open why would you bother the police with this? Why dump your problem onto someone else before you'd even tried resolving it yourself.

Some people are very lazy and would rather someone else come and solve issues for them.

[MrsRajeshKoothrappali]

BabylonPI I like wrought iron stuff too. I hope your dad's gates were okay.

OP, can't your kids just lob water bombs filled with custard at her next time she does it? Perfectly legal to do so in their own garden.

It would tick me off too. People do it to me, block me in, lady over the road gets taxi drivers to park in there. Drives me nuts. Had someone park in my drive several times which meant I couldn't park in it. My polite notes didn't work either.

I agree with the chain idea. No slack though, let it scratch her car.

[Pixieonthemoor]

Water bombs filled with custard - genius idea!!

I don't think you are being U at all OP - it would piss me right off too. Add to the fact that your kids play there and she could knock them over - I would be furious! I mean, no one begrudges some one losing their way and putting the bum of the car just onto the end of the driveway to turn. We have all got lost before. But this woman is carrying out daily manoeuvres!! She is being rude and cheeky. Glad to hear you are going to try the chain idea and I hope it works for you.

[ILiveInAPineapple]

YANBU at all, it would really get on my nerves! Although I don't think I would have called the police, or even spoken to them. The council must be mental for suggesting it!

They don't do anything about people parking aptly on pavements making it impossible for me to push my mum's wheelchair through, so I think they will have even less time to sort out someone trespassing on your drive.

I live at the end of a cul de sac, and have a driveway beside my garage, it drives me potty when people park in front of my garage, it's just bad manners, and it makes it really hard to get anything out - although I do usually encourage my DS to ride is bike out of the garage himself when there is someone parked there ;-)

Other than speaking to them, which is not going to be great if they are the local nutters, or putting some kind of physical barrier there, I don't see there is a lot else you can do. I can totally see why you are annoyed though!

[mum11970]

I'd be annoyed too if they were doing a full 3 point turn on my drive. The odd person backs into my drive if the layby is full and this isn't too bothersome for me, does seem to irritate my dogs though. However, it's not a police matter. It must take her some time to manoeuvre, so there should be amble time to pop out and tell he to naff off.

[UsedToBeAContender]

This would also drive me mad, YANBU to be mightily pissed off with this woman.

Next time you see her just pop out and say "look could you please find somewhere else to turn around as my kids may be playing outside and this is getting rather dangerous." Then put up a chain or something. You need to know your DCs are safe when they're outside.