To complain about car parking on our grass verge?

[blitheringblackberries]

We live in a street with grass verges on either side, approx 3.5 metres deep between the footpath and the road. Over the past 5-6 weeks, someone has been parking their car, day and night, on the verge directly outside our house. They leave from time to time for a few hours but always come back. The grass is starting to get churned up and muddy. And I just feel irrationally irritated when I leave the house and see them there, as though they've claimed it as a personal parking space. I don't understand why they can't mix it up a bit & occasionally park a bit further along or something. I'm not sure where the person comes from or lives. All the houses in the street are detached with driveways for parking, most have space for 2-3 cars.

Big stones or plant pots are the way to go

Assuming you actually own the land of course

Take a photo and send to council or police

That or stick it all over social media

Are they taxed? Worth checking

No, we don't own the verge so we can't put big stones there (sadly!)
The council maintains the verge (prunes trees, cuts the grass).
I'm not even sure whether this person is doing anything wrong? What are the rules on parking on verges? DH doesn't think there's much we can do about it.
But I still find it irritating! There's just so many other places to park

There's signs on the lamp posts on my road saying parking on grass verges £20 fine. Maybe approach your council and ask the rules in your area. I'd pop out there when they park and ask them not to park there as its ruining the grass. If they get funny about it or rude just pop some stones or something on there anyway for a fine. If the council come and tell you off just say it wasn't you who put them there. Simple.

If it’s council owned land, you’ll have them (parking control) pulling up on a moped before you have finished typing the email.

if they are parking on the road, with no yellow lines, that’s fine, but parking on a grass verge is a big no-no.

Our council provides appropriate obstacles and you can apply to the council - I would imagine they aren't the only council that do this

https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/transport-and-roads/highways/permits-and-application/verge-marker-posts

if they are parking on the road, with no yellow lines, that’s fine, but parking on a grass verge is a big no-no.

That's interesting, I wasn't sure if it was allowed or not. Sometimes they are parked entirely on the verge, at other times half on the verge & half on the road. There are no lines on the road.

The council(s) round here get in a right old rage if you park on the grass and fine accordingly.

ring you local parking office, they will come round, see the damage, if it’s not legal and they have mopeds/transport - they will be back!

@blitheringblackberries get in touch with the local councillors as there are elections coming up in a lot of areas in May so they will be wanting to keep their seats.

They generally are very helpful and can have the right contact at the Council.

Next time they park entirely on the grass verge just go and park on the road next to it, blocking them in. You're not blocking a dropped kerb or driveway so perfectly legal. And repeat.

Our local council has a reporting section for highways, it covers potholes, grids and churned up verges. You submit a report, with a photo if possible, and they go out and assess.
You then get follow up emails until the issue is resolved.

Just get some big stones and put them the verge.

The council won't care.

Agreeable · Today 13:41Just get some big stones and put them the verge.

The council won't care.

Agree

The council will care if someone else complains.

What has this got to do with you?

And it's not 'your' verge, is it?

You have explained you live in a large detached house with a driveway, it's not right outside your window.

Just get on with your life.

Just wondering, where did you get "large" from? And where did you get the fact that it's not right outside their window from?

It's public property and she is a member of the public

Surely they’ll care when they can cut the grass and it gets overgrown

OP would then become liable for any damage to cars caused from those big stones.

Highways Act 1980 , it is an offence to block, obstruct or damage road verges. This includes rocks, posts, A-boards etc

I asked my council about similar as the mud was ending up in my house. They said I could have bollards placed in the verge but I would have to pay around £120 each for them!

From the op: all the houses on the street are detached with driveways big enough for two or three cars

Does that help?

Driver's entitlement. Why does the driver think he/she's got the right to destroy nature? Our postman used to do that until I pointed it out to him. He stopped. Perhaps put a note on their windscreen pointing out the damage the car is causing. Some councils (ours) will send a traffic officer / warden and issue a fixed penalty notice.

We had this outside our house. Obviously people are welcome to park on a public road, but coming up onto the verge each time had ruined the grass and it ended up a mass of muddy tyre tracks and puddles

Luckily we have a lovely neighbour who has lived here for years. She knew a few people at the council from previous dealings, and persuaded them to come and plant trees (2 saplings) outside our house. I actually think she paid them something towards it, but apparently worth it to her as the mess was ruining the look of the road.

It's worked very well, they're spaced perfectly so no one can park there and we have an intact green verge now.