Motorist gets petty revenge on 'entitled' neighbour who kept parking on their drive
Having a driveway outside your home can sometimes be a privilege that others don't fully appreciate.
In certain instances, people have taken the law into their own hands when "entitled" individuals exploit the situation and park on a driveway that doesn't belong to them.
After "months" of wrestling with the problem, one person claims they decided to give their persistent driveway intruder a lesson they won't forget anytime soon - and documented their act of 'petty revenge' on Reddit.
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Writing on the 'petty revenge' forum, the user detailed: "My neighbour has been parking in my driveway for months.
"I've asked him not to a bunch of times but he always goes 'it's just for a sec' and shrugs it off. Came home last Friday and yep, there he was again. Only thing was, I was heading outta town for the weekend. So, I pulled in behind him, locked up, grabbed my stuff and left," reports the Mirror.
"A couple of hours later, I had a bunch of missed calls and a text like 'dude? ?', but I didn't answer it. Hope he had a relaxing weekend to think things through!". Responses poured in from dozens of users.
One commented: "This must be a strange driveway situation, because I couldn't imagine anyone thinking it's okay to park their car on someone else's property and just leave it there!" Another queried: "Who's entitled enough to park in other peoples driveway? I feel guilty if I'm even close to a driveway opening when I do a quick street park!" A third remarked: "I'm not seeing a problem, if you park in someone else's driveway (not parking spot) I dont see why you should be upset about anything that happens. You're technically trespassing."
Others were eager to recount their experiences of sweet revenge, with one sharing: "Same happened to me many years ago. I parked my beat-up old pickup truck behind his car. I parked an inch from his bumper, then took off on a two-week holiday. I knew my truck couldn't be moved without my permission. I knew the cops would not get involved."
One commenter, equally fond of petty retribution, suggested: "Text back: 'Hold on, I'll just be a minute. '" While another recommended: "Text back: 'Google say I be there in 10'."
What are your rights if someone parks on your driveway in the UK?
Discovering an unfamiliar car on your driveway upon returning home can be incredibly annoying. However, before you rush to dial for assistance, it's worth noting that due to a legal grey area, such actions might not always lead to consequences.
According to the RAC, whilst no criminal law prevents someone from parking on your driveway without permission, your driveway forms part of your property, so by driving onto it, the individual is committing trespass.
Trespass, however, constitutes a civil matter rather than a criminal one, meaning police lack the authority to make arrests.
The motoring organisation advises to "keep calm" and "not let the situation escalate".
It emphasises that people should "never take the law into their own hands" or "stoop to revenge tactics that could get you prosecuted".
Instead, pursue civil proceedings for trespass as the courts possess the authority to order removal of the vehicle from your driveway.
Another avenue is to pursue legal action for nuisance behaviour on the basis that the motorist is disrupting your use and enjoyment of your property, though court proceedings can prove lengthy and potentially expensive.