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?

This option sounds like a lot of fun.

I haven’t read all 7 previous pages and also don’t know whether you have a dropped kerb

you haven't even read the first post then.

This would be fun but I would just start parking DHs car there. If she keeps doing it then one at the front + back when you get a chance and ignore her ringing the door bell.

you can nominate your drive as a no parking zone and if the parking officer sees car parked there they ticket it

How does that work, though? Do you have to give them the registration number of all cars in the household and every single person you may ever have visiting you - including tradesmen or delivery people?

Most drives are regularly used, it's just when unauthorised people take it upon themselves to park there that there's a problem.

How infuriating! Bloody cheeky. Fight back harder OP. So it’s more effort for her to deal with you than it is to walk a bit further.

They called the non emergency police who towed the car away and the lady had to pay both a fine for obstructing the highway ( or something like that) and the fine to get her car released

I am not a vindictive person*, but this gave me a warm, rosy glow.

*Actually, I am.

Neighbour poured pva glue on dh's windscreen when he was parked perfectly legally.. Was a bastard to get off...

Does your area have a local “parks like a tw*t” facebook group?

This isn't exactly right. It is illegal, and it is trespass. It's just not a criminal offence. You could sue them for civil trespass on your private property, and you could get a court order against them requiring them to move their car. But the police don't have the power to arrest them because it's not a criminal offence. It's explained here .

Call the police non emergency line every single time and report her, or knock on the door where she is and stay until she moves her car. Every single time.

It beggars belief that she actually thinks its ok to block someones drive.

So are a collection of nursery fines!

Do you have any friends or family who might be willing to lend you their cars? See if you can park incredibly close both in front and behind her and lock her in. It'll only happen once or twice when she needs to sheepishly come to you to get out.

Or a cheap clamp would deffo work

Surely it’s also perfectly legal for you to park behind them and block them in on your driveway to your property?

I’d just clamp her car and unplug the doorbell or go away for the weekend.

Do you know this women’s home address? Perhaps go and block her drive!

Yes so long as you don't create an offense by doing so by parking on a pavement or obstructing a public way. In our case they took the entire drive with 6 cars and police said sorry nothing can be done as you don't have signs posted. We now have signs posted that comply with the law, clearly visible and saying only authorized vehicles as well as the fine if they are parked without permission. It was a whole thing that moved from one house to another down the street for a few weeks, they were a mobile car sales business doing fast sales for cash and using driveways to park the vehicles for viewing/sale. According to police, not as uncommon as you might think!

I've just googled and I don't think you're allowed to clamp someone's car

Seems less extreme than setting fire to it an claiming spontaneous combustion, which is what I'd be tempted to do.

Next time she does it block her in with your car and van is what I'd do. Park each up to the front and rear bumpers without a mm to spare and make her come and ask you to let her out. Then both of you rip her a new one.

It's illegal to park on a dropped curb. Every time someone parks there ring it into 101 as it's impeding access for disabled people. It's not law to have them there, but it's law that you can't block one that's been installed. They'll soon get fed up.

I wish Swaffham had such a group and I could post the photo of a silver Golf parked in Waitrose carpark at almost a 45 degree angle across the space I was in!

I've had this issue in the past. I called the non emergency number 101 and they called the car owner and within 10 minutes the car was moved. Maybe you could try this option the next time it happens?

😂

Play hard ball over the Easter holidays. Each and every time she parks across your drive use your car and husbands van to sandwich her in place so she can’t leave. Ignore any knocking. Go out for the day. Repeat repeat repeat.

When she blocks the drive and I’m not going anywhere I’m not petty enough to bother knocking to ask her to move on principal.

I have two very small children, dog, cat, chickens etc to deal with and I’m not sitting at my dining room window all day watching for her arriving.

She used to just be a couple of minutes or move if she saw me come out the house ( was proactive) but now is not.