The laws around parking on private drives have been placed under additional scrutiny in 2019, with well publicised cases of homeowners being left powerless and frustrated by the actions of other. But what are the laws and what can be done?

CarSupermarket has reported previously on cases of cars being parked on private drives with councils unable to take action as it is on private land. And while the law seems to be in a grey area there are still guidelines to follow should you find yourself in the unfortunate position of returning home to find someone else’s car on your drive.

The first point to note is that if the car is on the road blocking your drive then you can ask the local council to issue a fine. But if the car in question is off the road but fully legal i.e. taxed and insured then it’s unlikely the council or even the police will move it.

The best advice would be to seek legal advice, and while that may seem expensive, even the cost of a tow truck could cost minimum £100 and if you damaged the car you might be libel for damages.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “In a bizarre way, the system seems to favour the offender over the victim in this case.

“Because the offence of trespass is a civil matter the police cannot get involved, and as the vehicle is on private land the council cannot help either.

“So the only options available to homeowners seeking to get back what is rightfully theirs, costs both time and money.

“Thankfully this doesn’t happen very often, but if you are unlucky enough to be the victim you should seek legal assistance as soon as possible.

“A preventative measure would be to install a collapsible bollard on the driveway, but again this is an expense people should not have to part with.”

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