Some punk keeps parking on my drive

arcon5

Put your bins behind the car. You may hear him then moving them to get out and have a chat with him

bazster

A few points:

(i) clamping the vehicle is illegal. So is blocking it in if it's done with the intention of preventing its removal (but if you park behind it because it's your drive and you simply want to park on it, blocking him in is merely collateral damage and you're good to go).

(ii) it is lawful to immobilise his vehicle by means of a fixed barrier, provided that the barrier was in place (whether open or closed) at the time the vehicle was parked (which brings us back to a chain or bollard, preferably accompanied by a prominent sign stating that such a barrier is present and any vehicle parked without permission is liable to be immobilised).

(iii) You could put up a prominent sign stating that vehicles may park here in return for payment of £100 per hour or part thereof. Then, when the trespasser parks there again, you get the vehicle keeper's name and address from DVLA and you send him an invoice for however many hours you know the vehicle was parked (and sue him if he doesn't pay). See the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 Schedule 4 for the procedure to hold the keeper liable if the driver is unknown.

(iv) Alternatively you get the keeper details from DVLA and sue for trespass (you could also apply for an injunction) but this could be problematic if the keeper denies being the driver at the time.

Or, as suggested above, you could try asking him not to do it...

bazster

arcon5 wrote: »

How is a chain 'added security'? A burglar is hardly going to come break in through your locked door or smash a closed window in order to rob you just to change their mind when they see a weist height chain they can step over

Pretty obvious that he meant it's added security for your car if parked on your driveway. I'd like to see a car thief lift a car over a chain! Granted it's hardly Colditz-level security but if the chain's locked in place a would-be car thief is gonna have to break it somehow or drive through it, causing noise, hassle and perhaps obliging him to carry tools.

arcon5

bazster wrote: »

Pretty obvious that he meant it's added security for your car if parked on your driveway. I'd like to see a car thief lift a car over a chain! Granted it's hardly Colditz-level security but if the chain's locked in place a would-be car thief is gonna have to break it somehow or drive through it, causing noise, hassle and perhaps obliging him to carry tools.

Hardly! Somebody stealing your car isn't gonna change their mind because of a chain they could drive through with ease or even just chop it in half with minimal effort.
A chain is a deterrent for unwanted parkers, as for security, no!

Joe_Horner

arcon5 wrote: »

Hardly! Somebody stealing your car isn't gonna change their mind because of a chain they could drive through with ease or even just chop it in half with minimal effort.
A chain is a deterrent for unwanted parkers, as for security, no!

You're obviously not aware of the tried & tested maxim that anything that makes it harder for a criminal makes it more likely that they'll go next door?

Driving through a chain will cause damage to the car (likely broken lights as a minimum), which makes it more likely to be noticed and stopped. It'll also make a fair bit more noise than just driving away, and anyone seeing it is unlikely to think "Oh, Joe Bloggs at No 5 is off to work early today and seems to have driven through his chain".

Given the description of a "U shaped" drive, there's also the matter of house burglars who, when they know the owner's not there, can simply drive up and park as if they're entitled on an open drive - possibly even blocking the broken door from sight. Most people won't bat an eyelid at that because they assume it must be legit. But they're more likely to notice if they see someone carrying stuff out, across a locked chain, and loading it into a car / van by the road.

Why take the risk if there's easier pickings a few doors down?

parking_question_chap

So am I the only person wondering if...

a) You have a son/daughter in their early 20s/late teens living with you

b) You have a fairly big house

motorguy

scaredofdebt wrote: »

You could maybe block both ends of your drive with wheelie bins - we have two of those not sure about your area though.

Not a huge deterrent as they can move them fairly easily but might do the trick.

Not much else you can do without resorting to breaking the law yourself, or spending money and effort.

Or leaving a note????

FreddieFrugal

Strider590 wrote: »

The cheap alternative is to buy several boxes of eggs, go out and egg your house AND the car EQUALLY. This will look like you've !!!!ed someone off and the car owner won't park there again for sake of being caught in the crossfire.

Sounds like a sensible first step.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

Feral_Moon wrote: »

Not everyone drinks alcohol at parties!

wow, sounds like a great party,



think I'd rather have,



cheers,

.

leitmotif

Can anyone tell me more about the V888 option? £2.50 is cheap, and it would allow me to send him a polite but firm note. I think the fact that he'd realise I now know his identity would put the willies up him and make him see sense. He can't keep doing this. But: do I have a 'reasonable cause' in line with the requirements for the V888, and would I need to provide proof (which I don't have)?