Neighbours family blocking my drive.

[Whatdoyouthink65]

So I know this is a first world problem,
there’s much worse things happening but I can’t stop being annoyed non the less.

i live on a ‘ normal 1930 residential street. The house has a dropped kurb a in front of the garage side of the frontage, and we have a small driveway. I have an EV vehicle which lives on the drive ( when not being driven) so that
a) I can get the 2 under 3 year olds out/in easily and
b) it can charge when not being used. We have solar panels on the house and all the time they’re producing and the car is plugged in- it charges the car - essentially for free.

Our next door neighbour is elderly, and her daughter in law comes in a few times a day to care for her. If the space directly outside her house is taken by someone else she parks across my drive whether I am in or out.

usually there is a space outside my house ( not blocking the drop curb) as although literally anyone can use it, when my DH goes out to work it typically doesn’t get filled until evening when he may or may not be able to park there. We 10000% accept that on the on road parking it’s pot luck but I really really think I should be able to park on or get off my drive whenever I want.

i have asked them lots of times to stop doing it, but it falls on deaf ears. The final straw was that yesterday I was 35 minutes late picking DD up from nursery because I had to walk there unexpectedly after not being able to get my car off the drive… and today I’ve come
home with both kids and a full car of shopping and had to park about 800m away because she has parked half in the space outside the house and across the drop curb.

ive tried knocking on to ask them to move , but on both occasions they haven’t answered the door. They stay 90-120 mins per visit ( not a few minutes like just dropping off).

AIBU to be absolutely fuming?

"i have asked them lots of times to stop doing it, but it falls on deaf ears"
What do they say?

You are not angry enough. Sadly you need to go straight to the full on option. Get them ticketed ASAP.

35 mins late for school pick up is extremely stressful. I’d have been furious but what about if your child needed collecting because they weee unwell or it made you late for an appointment. Absolutely disgusting.
Go and keep your finger on the doorbell, knock on the door and windows. They’re being completely unreasonable. Do this every time, even when you don’t need to leave because that’s the only way someone like this will ever get the message.

OP, sacrifice an old lipstick. I would have drawn all over her windscreen by now. When she kicks off, I would have made it very clear that I’d tried the responsible way first but they don’t answer the door.

I would also warn her that a repeat blocking of my drive would lead to worse.

For the time being you could take the hit on the charging cost - doing it for a few weeks might be enough to make her change her ways.

Call the council parking team and/or the non emergency police number. I'm pretty sure it's illegal to block drives. If you want to give them one last chance, stick a note on the car saying that next time they block thr drive, you are going to call the police.

If it's blocking you getting off your drive you can call the police and they will tow them.
Unfortunately if they're blocking you getting on then the legal recourse is minimal.
I had an issue last week with some idiotic young driver thinking they could park in my private (on the deeds) allocated parking above outside my house. I politely asked him to move. His response was to call me a bitch and tell me he would park there as long as he liked.
After 48 hours I'd had enough, so I put A4 sticker sheets Al over his windscreen and windows with notes asking him not to park here.
Within an hour he knocked on my door and I denied all knowledge.
He spent two hours removing them and hasn't parked there since. Although he's now parking in another residents space 😡

Some of you really don't live in the real world, the police don't care about blocked driveways 🙄

I would bang the crap out of the front door until she answers. I would literally not let up for the full visit. Ive been burned by similar issue so I'm on the side if you need to go full throttle straight away or she won't stop. Also take pics every time and send to council, phone non emergency and every time. I hate people like this

I’d just buy the windscreen sticker sheets online and use them each and every time she does it. She’ll soon stop.

It’s not worth trying to appeal to these kinds of people’s sense of reasonableness. They don’t care.

Depends where you are- in my village they would be out to you fairly soon, but in the nearby city they’d probably laugh at you for calling.

Trouble is if the visitor is “only” there for ~2 hours at a time, the police might keep missing them since it’s clearly not an emergency.

Can you not keep a look out for her next time she comes and speak to her, advise you will be taking matters further if she doesn't desist, be firm and assertive. Her reaction will let you know how to push forward.

They do here and quite willingly tow cars that are blocking access to a public highway 🙄

I live in the real world. The police were extremely helpful when I had this issue, and came out immediately each time, eventually issuing the repeat offender with a fine.

OP - did you get a bill for late pick-up from nursery? Send that next door, along with a warning that you will be contacting both the police and local authority if she continues to park there.

Do you have a ring doorbell? Someone attempted to block my drive a few weeks ago, so I turned on the speaker on my doorbell and shouted at them through it. They were pissed off, but moved the car.

Agree with PP that I think police will only intervene if you can't get off your drive, not if you can't get back on it. Worth a try though!

A neighbour who had the same problem bought one of these, tipped a mate to visit and fit it, and denied all knowledge when confronted (it was finally sorted because the mate left the key with him and he went out in the early hours to unlock it)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heavy-Duty-Anti-theft-Wheel-Clamp/dp/B00KAF2UI0/ref=asc_df_B00KAF2UI0/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310668454275&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12040591094931883860&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046417&hvtargid=pla-552558206810&psc=1&mcid=bc28f9a18edb30919cacfb749bb0aa5d

Get an H bar, and invoice the neighbour?

https://www.warrington.gov.uk/apply-h-bar-markings

The road traffic act 1988 states: "A person is guilty of an offence if he intentionally and without lawful authority or reasonable cause interferes with a motor vehicle, trailer or cycle".

I would knock on her door too.
I'd also make it clear that due to you be held in your driveway that you were late to collect your child from nursery which had a charge of X amount (try to work out what the hourly rate is and double it) and tell her that you'll not be chasing her for any late fees in the past but going forwards, any time you're delayed due to her parking blocking you in, you will be left with no option but to forward the bills to her.
I'd also tell them that any future occasions where you're blocked in will also result in you contacting the Parking Enforcement office in the council and possibly the police to get the car moved.
Get some signs and put them at your gateway saying 24 hour access required, do not block driveway, cars will be towed. I think something like that should be available on Amazon or in your nearest hardware store.

If they can't park outside the property of their parents, that is not your issue to resolve. However they can resolve parking across your driveway very easily by not doing it!

Same. Next time they do it to the point that it gives you the rage, you have to literally bang on the door until someone answers.

You let them get away with it when you had to go to nursery (did you get a late fee??) and now they're just taking the piss.

Every single time she blocks your drive if you want to go out or not, knock.. ask to move if you get an answer. If no answer or they refuse. Call the non emergency line and report it every single time. It’s a crime to block you on the drive way.

Id also report to the council to see about a H bar making it not allowed to block the drop kerb either.

Don’t have a diagram but would a foldable bollard help? To stop her getting close enough to block your drive.

Have you spoken to either the neighbour or her visitor about it? I would keep ringing the doorbell, at 10 minute intervals, as soon as you see your driveway is blocked. If they won't answer the door I would leave a note on the car. Parking over a dropped curb can result in a parking ticket so it would be kind to make them aware of this. Also, you don't want to risk damaging their car, getting yours in or out.

I do have friends in the Police, but they’re too busy when at work to deal with such a menial thing and I wouldn’t really want to ‘bother’ them with such things. I am not in the Police but have completed their training programme as an extension of my own role ( which is nothing Crime related at all).

Thanks. We have H bar markings already 🫣.

Another vote here for just braying on the door until she answers. I wouldn’t leave and I would be making a slight nuisance of myself.

I also liked to use the small sticky window envelops for packing labels to place love letters /stop parking like a dick in car windows at my last corporate job (at behest of manager). A bit like the love letters from the parking wardens. Not sure on legality of that. They can be a pain to remove but don’t damage car?

I mean yes, I did get a late fee. But I didn’t really let them get away with it. I tried for 15 minutes banging on windows and doors to no avail, and then decided my daughter being worried about me being late ( unknown how late) and increasing late fees- it was my only other option to walk.

Whn we all arrived back home soaked to the bone from rain my rage was high enough to want to key the car…. ( I wouldn’t because I don’t want to lower myself to that) but the car had gone 🫣

Put a note on the car window saying they’ve cost you £x in school fines for being late as you were blocked in and you will bill them next time. Also say it’s the last time you’ll ask them to move and will now engage police, council parking etc