Neighbours think my drive is a right of way

[Runningonjammiedodgers]

Pic attached.

I live in a row of terreced houses. My house (1) has a path to the front door and a drive way next to my house. Houses 2-5 share a path that leads to the road. There is a strip of grass in front of their houses and then their parking spaces.

Neighbours in house 2 used to walk over the grass to their front door to avoid going the long way up the path. They (and their guests) have now taking to walking down my driveway along my path and jumping over the flower bed in the middle to get to their door. It's really pissing me off! It's my property being treated as a right of way and they walk right past my living room window so there is no privacy. But it's also not causing any damage or inconvenience. Just annoying as hell.

AIBU to ask them to stop using my property as a public footpath? Or do I just need to suck it up?

It would annoy me too.

Can you put a fence up / grow a hedge?

I'd ask them to stop (and plant something tall and spikey) as otherwise I'd be worried about them achieving right of way through general usage (though no idea what the law actually is on this).

For me, it would depend on how I got on with those neighbours. If I didn't, I'd get a wall built. If I did, I'd ask them nicely not to do it.

You can ask, but I suspect that only a physical barrier will stop people if it's convenient for them.

Rose bushes on bamboo steaks all the way down

They are CF. You need to put something on the boundary between your houses to stop them being able to do this. Long, heavy planters with high prickly shrubs should do the trick.

Plant some berberis. That'll stop them, but not until the big prickly bits have stabbed them a few times.

Would a gate work? A locked gate

I have a similar issue at my house and it annoys me massively. To put a fence around ours would be £££, so it's something I have to grin & bear.

I do get some pleasure when a delivery driver walks right past my window and my huge, loud dog scares the living shit out of them.

I'd love to get a motion-activated sprinkler system to serve as a deterrent!

Or a massive spikey hedge/wall in the flower bed

I have planted some bits in the flower bed but now they just jump a little higher on their way past.

They are fine enough but I don't have much to do with them. I also live alone and don't want to create issues for myself unnecessarily. But when they extended family decides on them and has a merry prosession past my living room window I feel pretty fucked off.

I would start off by asking them to stop. I had this problem where I used to live. I asked them to stop. They did.

A neighbour of ours was in a similar situation, they put an enormous garden ornament and a very spiky shrub in the gap which seemed to stop it. It was their neighbour's teenage sons who were using the cut-through, and asking nicely wasn't working.

Put up a fence!

I had a teenage boy walk his bike through my front garden so avoid the steps, I had seen him do it but hadn't been quick enough. I thought putting my bins infront of the gap would be enough, but he used to move them!! I caught him one day as I was coming down the road and told him to stop, which he did! I'm so glad we've moved since then and have lovely elderly neighbours!

Put something in the flower bed that requires some substantial support eg trellis, bamboo canes, or similar. Anything that would be really tricky to get over/through without damaging. It needs to be easier for them to go around than it is to try and get over.

They do it because you're a woman living on her own and they think you won't push back, and they think that if you do push back they will easily be able to intimidate you.

You need to fix this asap. A fence would be best.

It would annoy me too, but given you've not spoken to them, I'd do that first before thinking about putting up obstacles. They probably think you're not bothered if they're not arseholes generally.

That would annoy me too, and at night I'd get a bit 😱 being alone in the house and hearing noises outside

Its a stupid layout IMO that is asking for trouble.

Why did they just not put the parking spaces in front of the houses and run short paths through the grass to each house.

So annoying! As another poster suggested plant some shrubs and put in trellis like this to support and make a mini fence effect. Even if the height of the trellis is disproportionately high compared to the height of your plants. This is cheap trellis, if you can afford better there are more long lasting options. It may be enough to send a message and change behaviours! Trellis

Put a little fence up.

Barbed wire is such an underrated invention

Yes hopefully.

Though the house the other side did have a noise issues and they did nothing after she asked them to turn their music down. Oh actually not nothing, they asked her to feed their cat whilst they were on holiday. But failed to do acknowledge the noise issue.

Oh my god! A roll of barbed wire is a wonderful idea