Got a bit of a break before work again tonight, so I drove home only to find that a builder had parked his van across the entrance to my drive!

I beeped. Then beeeeped again. Then really beeeeeeeped!

Eventually this red faced guy came flying round the corner shouting AT ME!!! He was laying in to me about being patient and whot not.

Anyway he moved his van, I got in my drive and then he parked it over the entrance again!

I jumped out of my car and said, 'You can't park there! I need to get back out to go to work!'

'Are you going to stop me?' He replied.

I couldn't believe it! He was so gruff and angry and scary quite frankly. I didn't have a reply for him.

He did move it again, so I can get out; but somehow I still feel like I lost that argument. What could I have done? Can you call the police about something like that?
(He didn't threaten me, but I felt threatened).

Am I just being pathetic? (as usual).

I too have had a similar problem. I contacted the council to request one of those sign markings on the road, that was 5 plus years ago and I still await a reply. I contacted the police that really just fobbed me off.

I do live in a block of flats so in the end explained to the police one of the residents was a doctor, I didn't say what of, and if this should happen and he required to leave the communial carpark then there would be a problem. I gave them the vehicle's registration. I have no idea what happened but he didn't park there again.

Thank goodness for Doctors of Music.

Seems a bit cheeky if he wasn't YOUR builder and working at your property....!

I would mention it to the neighbour he is working for so if he does do it again they can say to him 'hey don't block my neighbours drive they need access etc'!!

:mad:

Thanks Sheish. Thing is the neighbours across the way don't have off street parking so it is a bit of a contensious issue to start with!

He's still over there working, so I'm keeping my head down!

'Are you going to stop me?'

you should have said "No, but I know a man who can" while getting your mobile out a making a call (pretend or real, doesnt really matter - the point will have been made by then)

or just reverse into his van - extreme, but he'll think twice before being a **** again.

I think you may be able to call the Police, but the community police not emergency because I had a similar incident last week.

I just moved into a new house and the garage is around the back, anyway I got back and this car was parked in front of my garage, blocking my car in and it was parked there for a good 48 hours. I began to panic about getting out on Tuesday morning. We knocked on all the houses that are near to the garage, but no joy. So we blocked the car in.

I noticed some people in the house behind peering out their window looking at where the car was parked, so we went to see them and they had been in but could not be bothered to answer the door, they rent the house behind. They didn't realise anyone had moved in, but people are told to park in their designated spaces when they move in to avoid causing problems. They acted as though it was our fault!!

But we were very very close to either calling a tow truck or calling the comminity police and getting them to move the car because they were parked on private property and blocking us in.

They caused another incident last night, they left their bin by the back gate which is the only little bit of space i have to reverse my car out of the garage and they had parked their car really far away from their garage not allowing much room for me to get my car out. I thought I could squeeze through but they had blocked me in and I scraped some paint of the front of my car as a result!

I would say that if this person blocks you in again and behaves in an threatening way call the community police or call a tow truck!

You need to check with the council if where he was parked is part of your drive or access/egress to it - by law if hes causing an obstruction he can be towed away. I would definately contact the police and get the matter logged just in case.

I would also put a note on his van stating that if he blocks your drive again you will contact a local clamper and it will cost him anything up to £100 to have it removed. Do you have a sign saying no parking at any time.

Some people....... he'll get his comeuppance Iam sure.

From South Yorkshire Police (http://www.southyorks.police.uk/faqs/answers.php?id=22) website.

If it causes an obstruction, such as blocking your driveway, contact your local police station.

Originally posted by technophobe
You need to check with the council if where he was parked is part of your drive or access/egress to it - by law if hes causing an obstruction he can be towed away. I would definately contact the police and get the matter logged just in case.

I would also put a note on his van stating that if he blocks your drive again you will contact a local clamper and it will cost him anything up to £100 to have it removed. Do you have a sign saying no parking at any time.

Some people....... he'll get his comeuppance Iam sure.

You can't clamp somebody on a public road just property you own or have the owners permission to.

Just phone the police and tell them when they say 'there's nothing we can do about it' or words to those effect, or 'we'll be there as soon as we can' tell them that you're going out in 5 -10 minutes with a sledge hammer and kitchen knife, you're going to put his windows and headlights through, and slash his tyres - you'll be surprised how quickly they can get there!

Originally posted by Lotti
Just phone the police and tell them when they say 'there's nothing we can do about it' or words to those effect, or 'we'll be there as soon as we can' tell them that you're going out in 5 -10 minutes with a sledge hammer and kitchen knife, you're going to put his windows and headlights through, and slash his tyres - you'll be surprised how quickly they can get there! then they will come and arrest you for threataning behaviour,you wont need to get of the drive then,cause by the time you get out of the nick,the builder will be in the pub laughing his backside off,the mobile phone and i know a man who can will work better

then they will come and arrest you for threataning behaviour,you wont need to get of the drive then,cause by the time you get out of the nick,the builder will be in the pub laughing his backside off,the mobile phone and i know a man who can will work better

I only say because it once worked for us but obviously not the best idea until it's the last resort! :hihi:

I didn't mean actually do it!

We get a lot of people park on our road without permits and very occassionally my mum has gone out with red lipstick when we couldn't park nearby (I'm disabled) and written 'permit?' across the window - but obviously, it's a last resort!

If you do get the mobile out and do the whole 'i know a man who can' thing - keep tight grip on your mobile! He sounds like a psycho!

Originally posted by Lotti
Just phone the police and tell them when they say 'there's nothing we can do about it' or words to those effect, or 'we'll be there as soon as we can' tell them that you're going out in 5 -10 minutes with a sledge hammer and kitchen knife, you're going to put his windows and headlights through, and slash his tyres - you'll be surprised how quickly they can get there!

Well either you carry out your threat - criminal damage, or you don't - falsely reporting a crime.

either way you have just told the police that you are going to break the law one way or the other - not a smart move.

Originally posted by Lotti
.... occassionally my mum has gone out with red lipstick ...
I believe a sheet of A4 held on with Pritt stick is murder to remove :D

Originally posted by Phanerothyme
Well either you carry out your threat - criminal damage, or you don't - falsely reporting a crime.

either way you have just told the police that you are going to break the law one way or the other - not a smart move.

I agree with Phanerothyme. You could find that you are arrested and charged with a breach of the peace. Phone calls to the police are recorded - so they would have evidence.

name and shame him on here & we'll all boycott him!

see what that does for business? :D

I've had an argument with a person over the road from me whose son's car would partially block my drive on a number of occasions. When I say partially, I mean I was within millimetres of clipping either the car or my wall.

Anyway, I left a polite note under the wiper as i'd not long moved in, but less than 10 mins later, heard a knock at the door and it was the father effing and blinding for me even daring to touch his son's precious, albeit dented car.

The guy didnt stop at parking grievances. He was basically anti student and went on and on about how he'd taken our bins in for us and so on (which he had not and I sternly told him not to ever touch our bins).

Not spoken to him since, but he hasn't reoffended and if he does, I will have the car towed away no questions asked.

Where I live, the city will tow a car to the pound if it is blocking a driveway. The pound is a nasty place in an undesirable part of town and they use forklifts to move cars around the lot.

I once came out of our house to find a car blocking the drive so I couldn't get out. I called on all the houses in our part of the road, sat beeping my horn for a few minutes, all to no avail. In the end I got one of those gold paint-pens and wrote, in back-to-front writing on the windscreen so the driver could read it from the inside, "please could you park more considerately in future. Thank you".

I never had a come-back from it, but I figure it always pays to be polite ;)

Originally posted by Lotti
my mum has gone out with red lipstick when we couldn't park nearby (I'm disabled) and written 'permit?' across the window - but obviously, it's a last resort!



Oh dear! That's just reminded me of a time when I was driving into Tesco's Abbeydale Rd where there is that awful junction and some guy in a BMW cut right in front of me. As I had right of way I sounded my horn and he gave me the finger and loads of verbals. This, understandably annoyed me as it was him that was in the wrong. We both parked up and he got out of the car shouting and swearing at me (I was with my young daughters) as we both walked into the shop.

My shopping list went completely out of my mind. I walked over to the make-up counter, bought the largest, brightest lipstick I could find then walked back out to his car and wrote across the windscreen what I thought of his driving and social techniques. Then I drove home. My daughters asked what I had written and I simply said I had left a note to drive more carefully next time. I got immense satisfaction from knowing how difficult it is to remove greasy lipstick from a windscreen and how long it would delay him before he could drive off again.

Ahhh - memories. Would like to say I have calmed down a little now but maybe not.

I have people block my drive on ocassion. I think it's because they see my car blocking it (i do that to not take up another space that someone else could use).
I normally just print out a note, fold it up like a parking ticket and put it under the windscreen wiper.

I really ought to get rid of the old Nova that's actually in the drive, then depending on logistics either my car or my SO's would go in the drive.

Ok, ok, I'm sorry - it was a lighthearted joke - ok?

I'm very sorry you got the wrong end of the stick and took it so seriously!

Msbehavin, I don't blame you! I try to keep my mum as calm as possible on the rare occassion she does get het up and goes around the house searching for pink lipstick, I have to say though each car that's had that little note, hasn't parked outside our house again and have never complained as what they were doing was illegal anyway!

Lottie

Originally posted by Strix
I believe a sheet of A4 held on with Pritt stick is murder to remove :D

Is it really? I could have done with that yesterday... Someone parked that close to me yesterday that I almost physically couldn't get in my car! I'm not a particularly large person, I'm a size 12, but seriously I couldnt get into my car without a painful squeeze... I had a good mind to leave a note on their windscreen, calling em summat for their stupidity... But I had a pen and no paper lol! Drat!

Looks like a trip down to WHS is in order?! Now where would be the best place to stick said prit sticked note? Paintwork? or windscreen... Hmm!

Originally posted by caprice
Is it really? I could have done with that yesterday... Someone parked that close to me yesterday that I almost physically couldn't get in my car! I'm not a particularly large person, I'm a size 12, but seriously I couldnt get into my car without a painful squeeze... I had a good mind to leave a note on their windscreen, calling em summat for their stupidity... But I had a pen and no paper lol! Drat!

Looks like a trip down to WHS is in order?! Now where would be the best place to stick said prit sticked note? Paintwork? or windscreen... Hmm!

Thats why the lipstick thing is sooooo good Caprice - we nearly always have one with us!!!:clap:

Originally posted by msbehavin
Thats why the lipstick thing is sooooo good Caprice - we nearly always have one with us!!!:clap:

Lol unfortunately lipstick looks terible on me as I'm very fair skinned, so I tend to go for lipbalm, or very pale pink gloss... I'm sure said items could also do damage lol

Originally posted by caprice
Lol unfortunately lipstick looks terible on me as I'm very fair skinned, so I tend to go for lipbalm, or very pale pink gloss... I'm sure said items could also do damage lol

The lipstick isn't meant to look good on you though -it's meant to grease up the windscreen when they attempt to wipe it off. No damage can be done or we wouldnt be allowed to wear it on our puckers would we??

A strong message written in lip balm just wouldn't have the same effect lol

lol I guess thats me off to boots then, to find the brightest red lipstick going lol... surely you couln't get done for criminal damage? or defacting sum1's property...with a lipstick? lol

Originally posted by Deavon
Got a bit of a break before work again tonight, so I drove home only to find that a builder had parked his van across the entrance to my drive!

I beeped. Then beeeeped again. Then really beeeeeeeped!

Eventually this red faced guy came flying round the corner shouting AT ME!!! He was laying in to me about being patient and whot not.

Anyway he moved his van, I got in my drive and then he parked it over the entrance again!

I jumped out of my car and said, 'You can't park there! I need to get back out to go to work!'

'Are you going to stop me?' He replied.

I couldn't believe it! He was so gruff and angry and scary quite frankly. I didn't have a reply for him.

He did move it again, so I can get out; but somehow I still feel like I lost that argument. What could I have done? Can you call the police about something like that?
(He didn't threaten me, but I felt threatened).

Am I just being pathetic? (as usual). #

He probably thought, quite reasonably that as there was no car on the drive that the occupant was at work. He moved it when you asked him. He might have considered an "excuse me can you move your van" more polite than beeping three times loudly. He was just responding rudely to what he perceived as agressive beeping. Had you asked he probably would have said "Sorry love, just ask again and I'll move it when you want to go again."

No harm done, everyone's polite.

It's never acceptable to block a driveway.

Originally posted by Cyclone
It's never acceptable to block a driveway.

I don't think there is any need to be use the horn agressively at the blocker when a few polite words go a long way. In this place the guy has a job to do, probably involving heavy tools and equipment, he probably though that the occupant of the house was at work all day and probably thought to himself "I'll move it the second anyone gets back.

From his point of view, he's trying to do his job and be considerate (he moved when asked) and someone comes haring round the corner effing and blinding at him.

Originally posted by theflyingfish
I don't think there is any need to be use the horn agressively at the blocker when a few polite words go a long way. In this place the guy has a job to do, probably involving heavy tools and equipment, he probably though that the occupant of the house was at work all day and probably thought to himself "I'll move it the second anyone gets back.

From his point of view, he's trying to do his job and be considerate (he moved when asked) and someone comes haring round the corner effing and blinding at him.

I don't remember any mention of effing and blinding.

And if you can't see where he's working then what are you supposed to do apart from blow your horn? Maybe the delay between beeps could be longer, but it's pretty short sighted to assume that because a car isn't in the drive that someone is out for the day.

Originally posted by theflyingfish
#

He probably thought, quite reasonably that as there was no car on the drive that the occupant was at work.
People seem to think that they can block my drive when it's empty.... Duh,how do they know the car's not in the garage?