verge destruction

autismmum

is there a law preventing a person from destroying and repeatedly parking on the verge?
i thought there was and yet i cant find it, can anyone help please?

Imp

Who ownes the verge? If someone is tresspassing and damaging the verge, there may be a civil case. But if the land owner doesn't care, then I suspect you are free to do what you want.

marybishop

If it's a public verge and they are blocking the it so that people have step out into the road to get by then I think you'll find the police would have a word with them. Do you have a PCSO that you can speak to about it or failing that if you phone the non-emergency number they should be able to advise.

Imp

True, but it is described as a verge, rather than a footpath. If it is a footpath, then it would probably be owned by the council/highway authority and forms a right of way. If it is a verge, then it is probably owned by the adjacent land owner and they can let who ever they want park on it.

Even if they obstruct traffic, unless there are yellow lines or no stopping signs anywhere, then the police wouldn't object to you parking on the road unless you were causing a hazard (parking near corners, T junctions etc,)

I have no legal authority to answer this query, just common sense and a desire for fair play.

tbs624

If it’s definitely a public verge then you’d probably be best checking with your local Council’s Highways Team, as public verges form part of their responsibilities. Some Councils have specific by-laws to deal with parking on verges. (Garden cities for example- £500 fine)

This may be what you are looking for : The Highways Act 1980 (S131 or S137?) - an offence for any person to place anything on the highway if it causes damage ( so builders skips, parking of vehicles etc) and The Highways Act 1980 (S148) - an offence to place anything on the highway if that prevents other persons from having free access along the highway. AFAIAA maximum fine(if prosecuted for both offences) of £1,000

Imp

Google is marvelous

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/content/index.jsp?contentid=-325922184http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/dumgal/xdocuments/650.pdf.ashx
http://www.kent.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/transport-and-road-planning/road-status/buying-highway-land.htm

What is the full story behind this query? Is somebody parking somewhere where you would rather they didn't or is somebody complaining about where you are parking?

Imp

The sewer is a simple one to answer. Lift the manhole cover, get a tape measure and measure to the top of the pipe. If it is over a metre, then he won't damage it.

I doubt he chooses to annoy you. He probably started doing this for his own convenience and without thinking about the implications on other people. It has annoyed you. This is a really wild solution, but I would live and let live. I would even go as far as to let him know about your concerns, say you are happy for him to park there, but say that if you need emergency access to the sewer and electrical cables, you will let him know and ask him to move.

Living with people leads to a much better life compared with living against people. If you let people annoy you, you will be sad and they will be no different.

moneysavinmonkey

in loads of villages they dot large white stone around the edges of all the verges.. presumably to stop cars parking on the verges, or driving up on them to overtake etc. I don't know whether these are put their by the council or the village association or individual property owners?
maybe something you could investigate.

Imp

What do you think the outcome of forcing him to change his ways will be, especially for the elderly neighbours who he knows don't like him parking on the verge?

Rather than a confrontational approach to this, a more co-operative approach may bring better dividends in the long run. He probably has friends, maybe a wife, people who like to be around him and see good things in him. He can't be all bad. If you can find that goodness running through him, then you can use that to change the way he acts.

People always have good motives for doing things, it is just that their assumptions or view on life is different to ours so their good motives come across to us as bad actions.

And remember, he is interested in what he is interested in. He is not interested in what you are interested in. If you can show that what you are interested in will help what he is interested in, then you can make him interested in what you are interested in.

Debt_Free_Chick

moneysavinmonkey wrote: »

in loads of villages they dot large white stone around the edges of all the verges.. presumably to stop cars parking on the verges, or driving up on them to overtake etc. I don't know whether these are put their by the council or the village association or individual property owners?
maybe something you could investigate.

If you do this, Highways will ask you to remove them - they're deemed to be a health & safety hazard (Don't shout at me please - this is what East Sussex County Council say!). If you don't remove them, then Highways can get a Court Order to force you to remove them - although they don't really want to go to the expense of that, so they'll keep nagging .... or cart them away one day.

Assuming that the road is adopted, the highway, pavement, verges and edges are all owned by the local Highways (usually County Council). If not adopted, it's private land and a matter for the landowner.

Debt_Free_Chick

autismmum wrote: »

ok, thanks, but council arnt happy , apparently its a health and safety issue, and i suppose where the grass has turned to thick mud a costly one for them to re sow and maintain, no one else in the whole street does this, so we wonder why he has a drive and then doesnt uses it. but some of my elderly neighbours asked him to move, and he swore at them, and laughed parks there constantly now, problem as the elderly ones reverse from their drive he blocks the view of oncomming trafic compleatly, poor old man gets quite upset and asked me if we can force him to either use the road or the drive, but not verge as we need to see oncomming trafic.

I hate these "disputes" but here goes .....


The neighbours are as bad as eachother. Reversing out of a drive onto a Public Highway is possibly a road safety offence ... certainly, it's considered bad driving practice. The neighbour should reverse ON to the drive and then drive forwards, off it.

I really do wonder what harm the neighbour is doing by parking on the verge, other than to !!!!!! off some of the others.

Not saying that there is no harm .... just struggling to see what it is