Is true in UK a car can park in front of your garage or driveway, blocking use of it?

[Asean Tiger]

In my country street parking is allowed but you cant block driveways to private parking

You just call a tow service and wreckers take the vehicle away at owners expense

[KhunLA]

Might want to learn how to use Google, as all I did was highlight, right click your 'title' and clicked on search google for ... 

 

Results ...

 

 

Wonder why you'd even care if you don't live in the UK.  

[MarkyM3]

Yes, happened to me once.

 

Found a car parked in my driveway and police were called. They said it was acivil matter and I shouldn't attempt to clamp it, damage it etc. Useless. But it seems you can have it towed away, though the advice is ambiguous. 

 

The snake who left his crappy Merc in my driveway came early morning to get it so I never found out who it was. 

 

Welcome to soft touch UK 

[Celsius]

🚗🔨

[Asean Tiger]

37 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Might want to learn how to use Google, as all I did was highlight, right click your 'title' and clicked on search google for ... 

 

Results ...

 

 

Wonder why you'd even care if you don't live in the UK.  

Just because I heard and it sounded to ridiculous to be true. Guess it is and no country is perfect. I still think I must be must be misunderstanding something if you can wake up and some clowns “crappy Merc” is blocking the only exit from your private driveway and you have no choice but to call a taxi to get to work? 

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, Asean Tiger said:

Just because I heard and it sounded to ridiculous to be true. Guess it is and no country is perfect. I still think I must be must be misunderstanding something if you can wake up and some clowns “crappy Merc” is blocking the only exit from your private driveway and you have no choice but to call a taxi to get to work? 

I read it as, if the borough, town, whatever, didn't make the driveway / dropped kerb, then the private part doesn't exist.   Though not sure how you get permit to have a garage, but not legal access to it.  We must be missing something.

 

Like who's responsible for the dropped kerbs ?

 

So back to Ms Google, and 'council' is responsible for dropping the kerbs ... BUT ... homeowner pays for that.  Guessing CCs roll the dice, and hope nobody parks in front. 

 

More curiosity ... 

 

[vinny41]

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I read it as, if the borough, town, whatever, didn't make the driveway / dropped kerb, then the private part doesn't exist.   Though not sure how you get permit to have a garage, but not legal access to it.  We must be missing something.

 

Like who's responsible for the dropped kerbs ?

 

So back to Ms Google, and 'council' is responsible for dropping the kerbs ... BUT ... homeowner pays for that.  Guessing CCs roll the dice, and hope nobody parks in front. 

 

More curiosity ... 

 

Legal Implications

If someone parks over your driveway and blocks you in or out, they may be committing an offense under certain circumstances:

Obstruction: Blocking a driveway can be considered an obstruction of the highway, which is an offense.

Local By-Laws: Specific local councils may have additional regulations against blocking driveways, which can also result in fines or penalties.

https://checkthiscar.co.uk/blog/what-to-do-if-someone-blocks-your-driveway

It happened to me many times from a lazy neighbour and her friends 

options were taking pictures and reporting to local council who would issue tickets or

I woke her up once at  06:30 as I liked to do my shopping early in the morning and that worked 

never parked across my driveway again and she contacted the local council to have her kerb dropped and built her own driveway in her front garden

[it is what it is]

4 hours ago, Asean Tiger said:

Just because I heard and it sounded to ridiculous to be true. Guess it is and no country is perfect. I still think I must be must be misunderstanding something if you can wake up and some clowns “crappy Merc” is blocking the only exit from your private driveway and you have no choice but to call a taxi to get to work? 

 

Guess it is and no country is perfect

 

well yea, in the usa you can buy a gun in a shop and then go and shoot people, puts parking in front of someone's garage into perspective. though in america someone'd probably shoot you if you did it.

[simon43]

From what I recall (from years ago), a driveway that doesn't have a dropped kerb is not legally a driveway.  So anyone can park in front of it. 

 

My first house had a small front garden that I never used, so I paid some gypsies to come along and create a tarmacked parking area.  They were good enough to remind me to get the local council to drop the kerb, so that no-one could legally park in front of my shiny new driveway, (with the thinnest layer of tarmac possible!!)

[norfolkandchance]

20 minutes ago, simon43 said:

From what I recall (from years ago), a driveway that doesn't have a dropped kerb is not legally a driveway.  So anyone can park in front of it. 

 

My first house had a small front garden that I never used, so I paid some gypsies to come along and create a tarmacked parking area.  They were good enough to remind me to get the local council to drop the kerb, so that no-one could legally park in front of my shiny new driveway, (with the thinnest layer of tarmac possible!!)

They had some left from the motorway they where working on.

[georgegeorgia]

Apparently in the UK trespassing is a CIVIL matter not Criminal!

 

So I can go sit in your front doorstep and it takes week to take private legal action ..... ridiculous!

[topt]

3 hours ago, simon43 said:

From what I recall (from years ago), a driveway that doesn't have a dropped kerb is not legally a driveway.  So anyone can park in front of it. 

yep. Loads of articles over the years up to this year (which is the one I remembered seeing recently)

2008 - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-524838/Cars-trapped-illegal-driveways-council-fits-bollards-middle-night.html

2018 - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6072897/Council-tells-homeowners-theyre-breaking-law-not-having-right-kind-kerb.html

2021 - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9806911/Homeowners-outraged-council-charges-215-drive-KERB-access-driveways.html

2025 - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14457361/xx.html

 

I had similar to you in my first flat over 40 years ago but also had a bus stop almost directly outside......

 

[Asean Tiger]

4 hours ago, topt said:

yep. Loads of articles over the years up to this year (which is the one I remembered seeing recently)

2008 - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-524838/Cars-trapped-illegal-driveways-council-fits-bollards-middle-night.html

2018 - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6072897/Council-tells-homeowners-theyre-breaking-law-not-having-right-kind-kerb.html

2021 - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9806911/Homeowners-outraged-council-charges-215-drive-KERB-access-driveways.html

2025 - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14457361/xx.html

 

I had similar to you in my first flat over 40 years ago but also had a bus stop almost directly outside......

 

 

On 4/13/2025 at 1:11 AM, Asean Tiger said:

 I still think I must be must be misunderstanding something if you can wake up and some clowns “crappy Merc” is blocking the only exit from your private driveway and you have no choice but to call a taxi to get to work? 

As I thought this goes beyond what I had considered. Nobody has ever thought of "lowering" a so-called KERB where I came from.  They are know as curbs by the way and nearly all  houses were all built with them and driveways. Maybe except rare occasions like a Hollywood bungalow where they were  altered 80 plus years ago or so when cars became common and nothing could be done to stop this theft of street front parking.

 

Why should these UK people be allowed to make illegal parkingspots  in their front  "garden" to avoid street parking then expect parking to be blocked in front of their house further reducing street parking available.  I now ask this.

[rough diamond]

56 minutes ago, Asean Tiger said:

As I thought this goes beyond what I had considered. Nobody has ever thought of "lowering" a so-called KERB where I came from.  They are know as curbs by the way and nearly all  houses were all built with them and driveways.

They are called a kerb in the UK and a curb in the US!

[Asean Tiger]

42 minutes ago, rough diamond said:

They are called a kerb in the UK and a curb in the US!

Yes.

And this this kind of parking is unheard in US because it blocks the "sidewalk" even if partially.

 

The towing business is over the top yes, in the US and a money spinner for cities. My sis had her car disappeared in a matter of minutes once when she stopped into as bakery to pick up a cake. I have only ordered  one car towed from my reserved parking spot. A repeat offense in an apartment  leaving me no choice but to park my car illegally on the street in a city where street parking is not allowed, and I got fined before for being the nice guy.

[OJAS]

On 4/14/2025 at 4:18 PM, Asean Tiger said:

Why should these UK people be allowed to make illegal parkingspots  in their front  "garden" to avoid street parking then expect parking to be blocked in front of their house further reducing street parking available.  I now ask this.

 

Most people actually make (perfectly legal) parking spots in their front gardens because free street parking is not permitted in front of their houses for most of the time!

 

[simon43]

[quote]

And this this kind of parking is unheard in US because it blocks the "sidewalk" even if partially.

[/quote]

 

If you are referring to that red car on the pavement (sorry 'sidewalk'), then it too would be committing an offence in the UK by obstructing the pavement.

 

If you want to park all over the pavement without any comeback, come and live in Thailand!

 

[vinny41]

On 4/14/2025 at 4:18 PM, Asean Tiger said:

 

As I thought this goes beyond what I had considered. Nobody has ever thought of "lowering" a so-called KERB where I came from.  They are know as curbs by the way and nearly all  houses were all built with them and driveways. Maybe except rare occasions like a Hollywood bungalow where they were  altered 80 plus years ago or so when cars became common and nothing could be done to stop this theft of street front parking.

 

Why should these UK people be allowed to make illegal parkingspots  in their front  "garden" to avoid street parking then expect parking to be blocked in front of their house further reducing street parking available.  I now ask this.

Apply for a dropped kerb

A dropped kerb allows vehicles to cross the pavement from the road to a driveway - enter your postcode to find your council’s website for more information.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-dropped-kerb

Dropped lerbs are not illegal and you do have to apply and pay your local council to have the kerb dropped

[Asean Tiger]

18 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

Most people actually make (perfectly legal) parking spots in their front gardens because free street parking is not permitted in front of their houses for most of the time!

 

S o perfectly legal. If somebody else parks there and leaves their car in your garden?

[vinny41]

29 minutes ago, Asean Tiger said:

S o perfectly legal. If somebody else parks there and leaves their car in your garden?

Parking on your driveway without your permission is considered trespassing so not legal

[liddelljohn]

On 4/12/2025 at 5:02 PM, MarkyM3 said:

Yes, happened to me once.

 

Found a car parked in my driveway and police were called. They said it was acivil matter and I shouldn't attempt to clamp it, damage it etc. Useless. But it seems you can have it towed away, though the advice is ambiguous. 

 

The snake who left his crappy Merc in my driveway came early morning to get it so I never found out who it was. 

 

Welcome to soft touch UK 

You could have  Blocked him in quite legally or even clamped his car  ,, he was tresspassing ,,, I did it a few time when prats  parked on my driveway   ,, I made them pay   ,,,,

[Asean Tiger]

12 hours ago, liddelljohn said:

You could have  Blocked him in quite legally or even clamped his car  ,, he was tresspassing ,,, I did it a few time when prats  parked on my driveway   ,, I made them pay   ,,,,

I only did that once, take action. I was in the US in an apartment with gated  parking spot assigned to me.

I called the tow service becuse somebody parked in my spot. All I had to do was show my lease and the document clearly assigned the spot to me to me.

 

I felt bad but, my only extra option was to park nearby on the street and I did that before because of these prats and I was fined. 60 or 80 dollars don't remember. Irvine California, No parking on streets allowed