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!

[Paiviaso]

YANBU to be annoyed. I have never understood people who get upset when cars turn around in their drive, but this is a bit above and beyond. They are doing it several times a day, getting close to your car, taking several minutes, upsetting your dog, and doing it when your children are out playing in the drive. It sounds really inconsiderate.

I think YABU to involve the police. Honestly, that bit makes you sound a bit nutty.

I think the problem could be easily solved by a chain/rocks/some other driveway block while they get the hint. I would also talk to them though - perhaps knock on their car window as they pull into your drive?

[infamousfive]

but the police do get involved. My neighbour used to ring the police everytime someone so much as went near his drive. I remember one Saturday morning the police knocking on my door asking me if I knew who a car belonged to which had parked outside my neighbour's drive I didn't but was more shocked that the police were doing a house to house to try and identify a car owner.

When my house was burgled however the police wouldn't come out, just gave me a crime number. Next day the police called out again by my neighbour as someone had parked across his drive and once again they were doing a door to door

I actually complained and a PCSO came out to try and calm me down. I asked why they wouldn't come out to someone who had been burgled but couldn't do enough for my neighbour when his drive was obstructed. I actually hinted that neighbour must know someone senior in the police force and had him/her on speed dial. I also asked why when I reported a car with no tax, no number plate and was completely burnt out and dumped at the end of the street they weren't interested. Didn't really get a proper reply....

[tryingtofoster]

if this were my drive then a strategically placed rock or two, the same colour as the drive surface and just big enough to get jammed under her car would have found their way onto the drive with an audience to point and laugh at the offending car making an unwholesome grinding racket when it found said rocks would make sure that it was never seen again :)

[Ephiny]

It does sound rude and annoying, but surely not a police matter.

Can you go out and actually speak to the lady when you see her doing it, and ask her not to?

[RagingDull]

OP, have you ever spoken to the people involved and asked them not to do it?

surely that would be your first step? next time she does it, go out and calmly have a word?

i know there are 2 numbers for police. but either way, i cant see how this is yet a police matter - it has potential to become a neighbour dispute but perhaps a more sensible way of doing things could prevent it.

if she has no idea that what she is doing is causing annoyance she may just carry on in ignorant bliss - if its pointed out to her that its causing a problem, and then she carries on i would see the point in asking the police to visit and have a stronger word, but at this stage it has potential to just esculate if police are involved.

personally, i would opt to have a word and see if its stops. I have no idea why the police are used as go betweens so often when a bit of applied common sense could sort something.

[ophelia275]

Could you try talking to her?

If that fails sounds like the only way you are going to stop her is by putting up some kind of gate/bollard/fence (which can only be opened by yourself).

[montysma1]

Have ushered her off the driveway, not spoken , she pretends she cant see me! And wont put her windows down. She is absolutely not in ignorant bliss.

Judging by their response to other neighbours on at least two other matters, the whole reasonable chat route is a waste of time, police have had to involved both times, and I have no intention of following her down the street to the house she is going into to be accosted by her agressive son/son inlaw or whatever he is.

I involved the police because a/ they are know to be abusive when challenged and b/ I consider there to be a safety issue and that her driving endangers pedestrians, both on the pavement and in my my bloody garden.


This is not even a next door neighbour, the house she is going to is at the bottom of the street, we live six semis, ie, 12 houses away up the street. She enters the street, drives past the drive way of the house she visits, (why not manouver there?), drives past a further 11 drivways and gardens, to enter my wider driveway, drive across my garden, reverse diagonally back out of my garden, which lets her get back on the road almost parallel, facing back down the road, whereupon she then drives all the way back down the street to park at the house she is going into. Thats her preferred option.

If she cant do that because of how my car is parked, she comes in straight, and I do mean straight up to my front door, stopping with her wheels an inch or two from the door step.

I am not talking about a wheel or a bumper onto the garden, I am talking the entire vehicle sailing past my window, 20 or 30 feet from the road, across what would be my lawn if it wasnt cobbled over. I am assuming that if it was grassed she wouldnt drive across a lawn! However, the fact that it is cobbled seems to translate in her mind, to it being part of the public road.

The public road is not narrow, it is in fact particularly wide. I can just about u turn a zafira on it with no reverse needed at all. A small car like she drives is able to 3 point turn with acres to spare. She just cant be arsed turning the steering wheel a few more times to get a decent wheel lock, which is a bit ridiclous in a car which presumably has power steering. She is not being expectected to turn a double decker round on a bridle path, its a small car on a wide road with no through traffic and hardly any cars parked on the road way to narrow it. My garden shouldnt need to come into it and she shouldnt need to mount the pavement. Its just lazy and dangerous.

[ClimbingPenguin]

if you had included more information in the first pose then most people would have understood the problem a lot better.

hope you get it sorted

[Snowsquonk]

How about asking around your neighbours for their empty wine bottles - place them randomly around your front garden (fill them with water to keep them upright) - but not where you park your car obviously.

She will either get the idea or run the risk of four punctured tyres.

And I know exactly why it winds up the OP - I have neighbours (private drive) who park right out side my living room window. It's not illegal - it's just fucking rude when they have parking space for 4 cars, plus a double garage but have preferred to turn the garage into a gym. So when they are all at home (5 adults, each has a car, one also sometimes has a massive red work truck) they think it's ok to park one car right outside my window. If you are at home a lot/work at home it starts to feel invasive. I didn't buy this house to look out at a carpark, I bought it because it looks out over greenery!

[FruitSaladIsNotPudding]

YANBU to be annoyed. And I'm not sure why people say you shouldn't have talked to the police, surely this kind of thing is what PCSO's are for?

Anyway, I would start by putting moveable things (bins, plant pots etc) across the driveway. It will be a pain, but she should get the message.

[cornzy]

That would really irritate me - how rude!
I think I would block the entrance to the drive with my car so that she can't get on.

[Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme]

Sounds like she is doing it deliberately then.

I'm afraid you are going to have to bite the bullet and invest in some sort of gate or fence. She's obviously going to keep on doing it regardless of whether you're even there or not. A physical barrier will have to get her attention and you could always look at it as an improvement to your property and adding to it's value?

Clutching at straws obviously, but any work done won't be a waste of money if it adds to the overall value of your home. And think of the happy little feeling you'll get when you look out of your window to see her astonished, confounded, stupid face as she sits there on the pavement.

Just make sure it's a robust enough fence to withstand being hit by a small angry car!

[OhDearNigel]

AndSueToo isn't there a new police number now for reporting non emergencies

It's the same people that deal with the calls though. The more nonsensical calls about cars turning in people's drives there are, the more officers we have to take off 999 response to deal with them

[MrsTrellisOfSouthWales]

She's going to keep doing it, you can't change that, so change your reaction to her doing it. I'd be putting up cones, looking into fences, moving your bins, getting plant pots, motion activated sensor lights/hosepipe - whatever to make it the less easy option for her.

[MrsHoarder]

OhDearNigel I thought that having more calls meant that the force could justify more officers? If no-one rings for anything short of murder then the government would slash police numbers even more.

[timeforanewname]

Yanbu this would really piss me off, I would get a chain so she can no longer do it.

[TheBigJessie]

YANBU to be annoyed by it.

If it's anything, it's a civil offence. If they're the local family to avoid, I cannot imagine that a solicitor's letter will improve situation. I suggest a small collection of ornamental shrubbery in pots.

[DameEnidsOrange]

I can't believe the roasting that you got on the early part of the thread - the woman is BVU, although I think calling the Police is a wee bit OTT.

I love the custard water bomb idea best of all

[Kayano]

You called the police before having a word with her

Way to boost relations

[BonzoDooDah]

I like the collection of wine bottles suggestion.

[BonzoDooDah]

They could even be in a few carrier bags "ready for recycling"

[Lambzig]

It is very annoying. What about one of those barriers you can put across a drive for children. That would be easy to remove and not involve any expensive installation.

www.gltc.co.uk/pws/ProductDetails.ice?ProductID=657

[OhDearNigel]

OhDearNigel I thought that having more calls meant that the force could justify more officers? If no-one rings for anything short of murder then the government would slash police numbers even more


Hahahahahahahahaha please excuse me while i stop wetting myself with laughter !
DH's section is currently 3 understaffed. Apparently, according to the people at HR (NB. not police officers) they have enough staff. So they just have to try and cram more and more work into less time (he is CID). DH is a very experienced detective and a very hard worker but even he is buckling under the pressure.

They have, otoh, just taken on a new intake of PCSOs. Very useful in investigating murders and rapes.

[FutTheShuckUp]

For people saying the OP is over reacting and the police have better things to do well sadly they do- like dealing with a driver who kills a child playing on their own drive by turning on it-as very sadly happened to someone I know

[Sossiges]

It's the OP's private property, her kids play in the garden, this inconsiderate cow woman turns in her drive several times a week & the family are nutters. I am loving all these people saying "just talk to her..." (as if she hasn't realised the OP is pissed off already) and the ones going "oh, but I can't turn round without a driveway"
If you need to turn around, don't use other people's driveways - it's rude.
Love the stinger idea but then she'd be on your drive forever while she calls the AA! The chain sounds like the best bet, or Piglet's idea about the masonry painted plant pots.