Why I continue to park across my neighbour's drive

A woman says she should be able to continue parking slightly across her neighbours' driveway after several notes were taped to her car.

Astrid Cooper, 34, who lives in Brislington, Bristol, says parking spaces are limited near her home and she would often otherwise have to park several streets away.

Her neighbour, who converted their front garden into a driveway last year, is demanding that she park elsewhere. However, Cooper says the driveway does not have a dropped kerb, meaning the arrangement does not comply with the law anyway.

Cooper described the row as "frustrating" as she always ensures access to the driveway is possible. The neighbour did not respond to a request for comment.

Cooper said she she had received about five notes in total,demanding that she "stop parking here" and "park your car down slightly and not across my drive".

Parking on the pavement is not illegal outside London and Scotland, though drivers can be fined for blocking pedestrian access or obstructing traffic flow.

But Cooper, a mother of two, insisted she always leaves enough space for wheelchairs and prams to pass by, and that pulling slightly in front of the drive does not prevent access in any way.

"I don't want to cause an issue with my neighbour, but I also don't understand what the problem is," she said.

"I would never block someone coming in and out, and that's where the frustration comes from. Is it literally an aesthetic thing that the car is outside her house?"

Cooper said two parking bays directly outside her home are designated disabled spaces, further limiting her options.

Parking several streets away is "impractical" with two small children in tow, she argued.

"Not being able to park close enough to my house is a daily frustration, and when I get a note it makes it even more challenging," she said.

Cooper said other cars had received similar notes too.

Cooper also believes the notes are "hypocritical", accusing her neighbour of failing to follow the correct protocols when converting the driveway.

It is an offence under the Highways Act 1980 to drive across a pavement to access private land without a properly constructed dropped kerb.

The BBC has found no record of a planning application relating to the conversion.

Bristol City Council declined to comment on this specific case but confirmed a dropped kerb was required for legal access across the highway.

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