In message , fred writes
Yes. I have yet to hear of an actual prosecution.
I don't sign them and they are invariably polite:-)
AIUI the current laws do not allow me to either move the vehicle (misappropriation or some such) or prevent the driver removing it. (clamp etc.)
The one concession is that the gates may be secured closed on gated private land.
AFAIK there is nothing stopping anyone from parking on your drive!
Yes, Tim you are quite correct. The only thing that you can do is put up a notice, before the event, advising that there is a (reasonable) charge for parking on your property and when they ignore your request for payment is to pursue the debt through the courts! What a joke. ...and you can only close gates that were already there.
Peter
Probably not the only thing. Why can you not park across your own drive and block the car in there? (Obviously depends on precise layout, having a car that is available for the purpose, etc.)
I think for the same reason they can't do it to you. It's "obstruction".
However, gates are not motor vehicles! A sliding gate (or even a portable padlocked barrier) would be the answer.
Years ago at work I had a 24/7 reserved space very close to a building I worked in (I was on 24/7 call). I tended to work odd hours if I'd been called out, so I rolled up at 1 p.m. one Friday to discover a car in the (very clearly marked) space. I just parked behind him so he couldn't get out, and went off to a meeting. When his religious meeting (as that is what it was) finished at 2 p.m. he had to wait some considerable time before I returned. Our reception staff had been instructed to have no knowledge of my whereabouts.
Regretably that would be illegal as you cannot prevent a vehicle leaving, also in many areas it is an offence to park across a dropped kerb even if it's yours!
Peter
I think that you can legally park across your own dropped kerb.
"Can I park across my own dropped kerb
To avoid being issued a PCN for parking across your own driveway where a dropped kerb has been implemented, contact your local council to confirm your residency details and make, models and registration of your vehicle."
It does seem odd, though, that a gate would not be an obstruction but a car would. I suppose if you have a bit of suitable moving equipment, some large boulders would make a statement. :-)
OTOH probability of the police doing anything is approximately zero.
As I found out when some bunch of cretinous idiots clamped my car in Tonbridge Station car park despite me displaying the correct ticket.
When I walked around to the nearby police station, the reply was "private land, it's a civil matter sir".
So I would not worry...
That's a job for a Stihl saw.
I think if the car were off the road, it wouldn't be onstructions. So if your drive were two car lengths long, and you parked on the 'road' end with the offender on the 'house' end, I doubt they could touch you.
Again regretably no: See Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
54 Offence of immobilising etc. vehicles (1) A person commits an offence who, without lawful authority? (a) immobilises a motor vehicle by the attachment to the vehicle, or a part of it, of an immobilising device, or (b) moves, or restricts the movement of, such a vehicle by any means, intending to prevent or inhibit the removal of the vehicle by a person otherwise entitled to remove it.(2) The express or implied consent (whether or not legally binding) of a person otherwise entitled to remove the vehicle to the immobilisation, movement or restriction concerned is not lawful authority for the purposes of subsection (1). (3) But, where the restriction of the movement of the vehicle is by means of a fixed barrier and the barrier was present (whether or not lowered into place or otherwise restricting movement) when the vehicle was parked, any express or implied consent (whether or not legally binding) of the driver of the vehicle to the restriction is, for the purposes of subsection (1), lawful authority for the restriction. (4) A person who is entitled....
Peter
Or liquid nitrogen and a club hammer :)
But don't drive away too soon...
Or build a scaffold cage around the car...
/That's a job for a Stihl saw. /q
Nah cordless angle grinder & extra battery :-) :-)
Jim K
That's the one, Peter.
I think the target was rip off merchants offering parking and then clamping with a high release charge for minor offences.
Sadly I had just constructed two heavy concrete blocks with slots for my loader forks. Oh well, they are handy for temporarily blocking field access points when the Bluebells are flowering or any other time of year when urban dwellers have a sudden urge to drive into the country.
That junction's being rebuilt now. After February there will be two lanes in the East-West directions.
Is there scope for leaving troublesome vehicles and their exit routes untouched but putting just enough smelly manure in the way of the vehicle doors that no-one can get back into such a vehicle without getting their shoes very 'muddy'?
What's wrong with the good old "dogshit under the door handle" method?
How does one train a dog...
:-)
I try to draw a careful balance between getting their attention and inviting retaliation.
Sticky advisory notes for those blocking field gates or reducing driving width to car only. Concrete blocks were for repeat offenders parking in my yards or non-highway visibility/turning splays.
I should emphasise this Byway is open to all traffic. Drivers remaining in sight of their vehicle are welcome.
Super glue in their locks pay the release fee then let rip when they can't unlock the clamp
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