So, ultimately, this is down to a question of courtesy and respect between you and your neighbours. If you do suffer from a repeat offender who insists on blocking your driveway then do be careful. As you may not backed up by law, the best thing you can do is to approach them calmly and try to sort out the situation amicably. If they aren't interested, or continue to ignore you and park in front of your property, blocking your access, then unfortunately the only thing you can do to ensure that you have full access to your drive is to park somewhere else - perhaps, if you're a fan of irony and you can get there first, even in front of your own driveway. If you do this often enough they'll probably get bored and give up.

It does seem incredibly unfair that someone can do this when you have forked out for a home with somewhere safe to park your car off the road - and if you are blocked ONTO your drive, then you might find a kind police officer who will make enquiries for you, contact the owner and ask them to move their vehicle. However the police are not bound to act as according to the Highway Code every driver has a right to park anywhere on a public highway except those places which are expressly forbidden.

Following on examples of DO NOT park or stop rules are as followed

• Near entrance to a school
• Anywhere you will prevent access for Emergency Service
• At or near a bus or taxi stop
• On the approach of a level crossing
• Opposite or within 10 metres of a junctions
• Near a brow of a hill or bridge
• Where the kerb has been lowered for wheelchair access
• In front of the entrance to a property (referenced above)
• On a bend

These seem very self-explanatory right? Now let’s move on to the MUST NOT rules which remember these are obligatory and can result in legal action if not followed.

You MUST NOT stop or park

• On a carriageway or hard shoulder unless of emergency
• A pedestrian crossing including the areas marked with zig zag lines
• Taxi bays
• An urban clearway within its hours of operation with the exception to pick up and drop off passengers
• A tram or cycle lanes in hours of operation
• Red lines
• Park in spaces allocated to blue badge holders or residents
• Leave your vehicle or trailer in a dangerous location where it causes unnecessary obstruction
• On yellow lines in hours of operation

Just remember never assume you can park in a particular situation from one location to another, always make sure that you are following the relevant regulations – you can usually do this by looking at a lamp or parking posts in the area which have supplementary plates attached providing parking restrictions.