How do we stop our neighbours from driving across our drive?

[EstoyRobandoSuCasa]

We had our driveway tarmacked last summer and within weeks it was showing minor signs of wear and tear (not sure if that says anything about the quality of the tarmac). It has since accumulated more surface damage.

We don't have a car at the moment and it's obvious from the tyre tracks that my next door neighbours are to blame. Their adjoining driveway is narrower than ours and they keep two cars parked on it, one behind the other. When they want to get the car at the back out, they simply swerve across our driveway and drive down it. It's the swerving that appears to be causing most of the damage.

We haven't actually told the neighbours not to drive on our driveway, because we're 95% sure they would ignore this and still drive down it when they thought we weren't looking. Parking on the street is only allowed between certain times.

I'd love to put up a fence between the drives, or bollards, but no one else on the estate has these and we're not sure it would even be allowed.

Find out if you are allowed a fence or bollards?

Would it cause less damage if you simply let them park their second car on your driveway whilst you don't have a vehicle?

Just put up a small fence or some bollards. Who's going to tell you to remove them, and what would happen if you didn't? Probably nothing.

Put stuff in the middle that would block them doing it like heavy plant pots?

A sleeper (fastened down) or big spaced out rocks might help.
Obstructive but unobtrusive to the eye.

The sleeper idea has been used in my area.

Some big ornamental plant pots on your drive as a barrier? Not permanent like a fence or bollards but would do the job.

Large flower pots/ Decorative rocks?

This is proper wet wipe behaviour. Go round and tell them to stop doing it, pointing out the damage, calmly yet assertively, and order some bollards/planters/decorative boulders and make a boundary. This is your property and you’re entitled to do both of those things.

Have you had the peiple who laid the tarmac out to look at the damage? Im surprised its damaging that easily.

That's an idea that neither of us had thought of!

We probably will get a car sometime this year or next, though, and it'd be great of the neighbours could get used to managing their cars without using our drive.

Get rectangular plant boxes / troughs and put them on the boundary.

Its £200 max you only need it at then end of your drive.

A newly.tarmaced drive shouldn't be doing that though.

That's another issue! They never sent us the promised warranty certificate and have ignored all reminders. I have a message from them in which they promised to send it after we'd paid.

And yes, I know we're being wet wipes about the neighbours.

I’d get in touch with the company that put the tarmac down, it’s a driveway and supposed to be driven on so why is it damaged? I’d also tell your neighbours to stop driving on it because you’ve got the company coming to look at it because it’s damaged from being driven on

I had this problem with my neighbours constantly driving across my driveway as they have a drive but not a dropped kerb. I put a couple of these along the boarder https://www.argos.co.uk/product/2967017
they have now started driving across the neighbours on the other side.

Big planters/ pots or troughs for now OP. When full they should be heavy and stable. You're very tolerant to just put up with that!

Tarmac on a driveway is never going to be done to the same quality as a carriageway.
We had a long, hot summer that would have caused the tarmac to be soft.
Repeatedly turning the front wheels on the driveway (as opposed to driving straight forward/rearwards) will have caused some damage, emphasized over time.

You either speak to them and/or put barriers down.
A low fence would be my preference but a series of attractive, heavy planters will do just as well and the plants will soften the visual effect.

The options of allowing them to use the driveway until you get your own car........ No.
How many times have we read on here of a similar situation which is then abused and difficult to stop.

I would just put very big and heavy plant pots down in between your driveways.

Also chase up the company who lay the tarmac, as they sound to have done a poor job.

It sounds like you have 2 problems to resolve.

1. you had your drive done by cowboys and it’s probably not going to stand up to use anyway
2. you have neighbours who are being cheeky

For 1. if you have a proper address etc then you need to:

• gather all the evidence (when they did the work, what they quoted for, the comms about the warranty etc) and photograph the damage as it occurs
• write a letter of compliant stating what is wrong, that they have not provided the promised warranty but that under the Consumer Rights Act you are entitled to work that is fit for purpose and you expect either full repair at their cost or a refund. Ask them for a full response within 7 days or you will escalate to Trading Standards.
• If they fail be prepared to take them to small claims court if it was less than £10k

For 2. Let them know you are doing 1. and ask if, due to the damage being caused and the legal issues they could please avoid driving over the tarmac. If asking under this guise fails then stick in some big planters / pots on your boundary.

I agree, it’s irritating they’re driving on it all the time but realistically a drive way is designed to be driven on and shouldn’t be damaged by them doing this.

I would speak to neighbours and explain the problem. Far better to be honest than plant pots etc !

Agree with cowboy comments . The driveway obviously hasn’t been laid properly.

I think this is a good idea. If you don’t like the idea of conflict with neighbours, tell them that you’re in dispute with the company that did the tarmac, and that for now no one can drive on it pending assessment.

I would put some heavy wooden planters along the edge.

It’s a driveway. Why is someone driving over it damaging it? That’s exactly what a driveway is for.

That aside it would annoy me if people kept driving over my drive. I’d put a fence in. It doesn’t need to be a big fence. One foot tall should be enough. Just something to mark the border and stop people driving across it.