Problem with neighbour's visitors parking in our drive

[80sbabe]

I'm wondering if anyone knows the legal stance on a neighbour using our drive for her own visitors ?
We live at the end of an open plan style cul de sac so nobody has fences or hedges. All the houses have off road garages with small drives in front of them.
We have a double garage which sits next to a single garage belonging to the bungalow opposite. It's clear on the house deeds that our house owns two garages and two driveway spaces. The boundary between the drives (which are tarmac) is and always has been marked by a thin paved line so you can see where one ends and another begins.
We bought the house from new and we also still have the original building plans and the marketing information which states the 4 bed homes have 2 garages and driveways and the 2 bed homes and bungalows have 1 garage and 1 drive each.
Last year a new neighbour (she's quite elderly and frail) moved into the bungalow opposite us and at least twice a week we return home to find she has her home help / carer parked in our drive.
This might not sound like a big problem, but our DS is physically disabled and a wheelchair user. He cannot walk at all and has very limited flexibility in his limbs. We need access across most of our double drive to open the car door wide enough to get DS out and into his wheelchair.
We have politely spoken to our neighbour, who really doesn't seem to see the issue. She sees no problem with me unloading my children (have 3 others as well as DS) on the road and parking further up the close until her visitor moves. As they refuse to move when asked I have had to do this at least a couple of times a week for a year.
It doesn't happen every day (I think her helper comes at different times and I am at work through the day) but it's really getting on my nerves and making life a bit more awkward than it needs to be.
Does anyone know if there is any legal action we can take regarding this ?
We don't want to fall out with the neighbour but don't see why we should be regularly inconvenienced by her.
Having looked around on various websites it seems there are laws against blocking someone in, but she isn't doing this, she's just preventing us getting onto our drive when we need to.
Sorry if this is a bit long but I wanted to make the situation about the layout as clear as possible.
Thanks if anyone has any advice.

[mercibucket]

Or you could always let down her tyres (joke)

My neighbours always block in anyone who parks in their drive. They don't do it twice.

[Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme]

Please come back and tell us what happened.

You're an inspiration to blocked in/out drivers everywhere!

[RyleDup]

Oh yes brandishing. That is the answer. I parked on my university campus in the wrong spot, and got one of those extra sticky stickers that don't come off, for my troubles. I never ever parked there again!!!

[BRANdishingMistletoe]

Out of interest Vicar if the police were called and the OP said "oh, you want me to move my car? Why didn't you just ask?" And then moved her car, would the police be likely to take it any further?

[mercibucket]

Ooh or a really horribly abusive message, as was left on my friend's car when she parked on the pavement. Name and shame

[thereinmadnesslies]

Is it the same carer every time? My mother has carers and the regular ones would not have to be asked twice about parking, but the agency also sends out random ones who are far less likely to remember or care about parking issues.

[Cahooots]

**How about leaving some old kids toys on the driveway. It might dissuade the carer from parking there.
**What about bigger and blunter signs, with warnings that you WILL block anyone in if they park on your drive.
**What about sending a big bloke to have a chat with your nieghbour. To be honest you sound much too nice . I wouldn't suggest he do anything out of order but his stature may get the results you don't.
**What about making it obvious that you are videoing or taking photos of any offending cars. It might help put them off.

[80sbabe]

VicarInaTutu thanks for making that clear, in that case I won't block her back next time.
I have no idea how I'd find out who her carer works for though as she doesn't have a sign or anything in her car and I doubt they'd tell me if I asked.
I did wonder if it would come under civil rather than criminal law so the police wouldn't be much help to me.

Mintyy The elderly neighbour parks her car on her drive so the carer can't use that. However there is always space further up the close - the place I have to leave my car when she's on my drive !

Thanks to you all for answering me - I appreciate it probably all sounds a bit petty and there are much bigger problems in life than having to park up the road and then move a car twice a week or so.
It's just annoying that I can't come home with the children, pull into our own drive, and be done with it.

[Cahooots]

You could turn your sprinklers on when the carer is returning to her car.

[Cahooots]

80sBabe. You mustn't think this is a petty issue. You paid for that driveway! It may not be a life or death but it certainly isn't petty.

[exexpat]

Get some of these stickers, perhaps?

[ThatVikRinA22]

bran - not likely, no. if i were called to this i would groan just want to make sure no criminal offences were being committed. often PCSOs are called to neighbour disputes rather than PCs. thank god neighbour disputes take up alot of time and energy, and in the current climate there are just not enough PCs really to deal - as it is if she were to call police it may be an hour or so before anyone arrives - longer if the problem is solved first.

[BRANdishingMistletoe]

My university campus is where I came across the stickers too Ryle.

These would do the trick IMO.

[BRANdishingMistletoe]

X-post with exexpat.

Thanks Vicar. . Nobody really wants to do the paperwork for something trivial like that do they?

[80sbabe]

Are those stickers legal though ? Although they sound like a good idea I wouldn't want to be the one in trouble for criminally damaging their car if they complained.

[BRANdishingMistletoe]

They can be removed so don't actually damage the windscreen or window, they just take a hell of a lot of effort. If you were worried about it you could put it on a rear window which wouldn't affect her ability to drive the car.

[BRANdishingMistletoe]

I meant back seat window rather than rear windscreen, a bit unclear sorry.

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

I think if I could afford it I would be tempted to fit one of those driveway security bollards. But if they have the brassneck to refuse to get off your drive when asked they may just block your drive instead.

[Sleepyfergus]

What's the situation regarding those stickers? (The really adhesive ones). Could the driver claim damages if they can't remove it? Even if they are in the wrong and parked on your private drive?

Tbh, I can't get over the nerve of some people. Good luck OP, hope it gets sorted soon.

[ThatVikRinA22]

mmmmmm.

if they do permanent damage you could be onto a sticky wicket....if the carer does not know its your drive then she is surely the innocent party in this. i would not damage her car by using a permanent glue. if its the same carer can you not have a word of photocopy a note to put on the car?

i would really try to find a less permanent solution first. technically yes - if you damage her car permanently it is criminal damage.

is it always the same carer?

[Sleepyfergus]

Oops, xpost.

[sicutlilium]

Surely you have an old piece of furniture that needs to be spray-painted out on the front lawn...

[RyleDup]

Hmm, wonder if you were at the same uni as me brandishing, or whether those stickers are standard issue across all universities. Mine got stuck onto the drivers side. So I had to get it off before I could drive away. Nightmare.

[RyleDup]

You can get them off. It just takes a while, and a bit of elbow grease.

[OnTheBottomWithAStringOfTinsel]

I'm sure there is some way to remove those really sticky stickers (some sort of wallpaper scraper type of contraption that they use when redecorating shop windows, and perhaps nail varnish remover/acetone)?

So long as you put the sticker on the glass (and were sure it could be removed) then it won't damage the paintwork.

Of course you'd want to be sure 1) that the carer knows for definite that it is YOUR driveway and she shouldn't be on it and 2) that she wouldn't have the stuff to remove the sticker immediately to hand - after all the point is to embarrass her so that she doesn't do it again, and driving off with a humongous sticker saying "Don't park here" should do it!