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Your legal rights if delivery drivers keep blocking your driveway

Here's what you can do

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Delivery driver parked on driveway(Image: Reach)

Coming home to a delivery driver blocking your driveway is a nuisance many of us are familiar with. But are there any laws against it - and what can you actually do about it?

One key issue which legal experts agree on is that the length of time would be an issue. If a person parks on a driveway for a day or a week then the homeowner could take some action - although it would be an issue getting the police involved.

The RAC said: There is no quick fix for nuisance chancers using your driveway to nab a parking space for the day. Unfortunately, there is little chance of the law getting involved and the legal action outlined below will take a considerable amount of time and - unless you have the legal add-on as part of your home insurance policy - expense.

The best thing to do on a one off is to keep calm and dont let the situation escalate, never take the law into your own hands and do not stoop to revenge tactics that could get you prosecuted also. If its causing an issue, try and speak to the person and resolve the situation sensibly. If you find it is a long-term issue, either happening on a regular basis, or a car has been left on your driveway for some time, the following advice may help.

So in the case of a known delivery company constantly using a driveway, the homeowner could contact them and raise the issue and they could talk to the driver - however, its likely in the modern world that many different drivers from various companies, many just freelance, will do the same.

Court action is possible, the RAC said, but this would be under trespass laws and would mean potential costs and also probably wouldnt deal with the overall problem. The RAC said: If you were to pursue a civil case for trespassing, the courts have the jurisdiction to remove the car from the driveway.

Your solicitor would be able to get the civil courts permission to find out the legal owner of the vehicle involved, and a judge would have to make its removal an order of the court. Another option is to pursue a legal claim for nuisance behaviour on the grounds that the driver is interfering with your use and enjoyment of your property.

You should be aware, however, going through the courts, can be a long and potentially costly process if you do not have legal expenses insurance.

Delivery drivers cant be stopped from dropping things off except under special circumstances. One law expert said: In the UK, unless there are no loading marks on the kerb, delivery vehicles are allowed to stop and load/unload anywhere. But they are not allowed to linger more than a few minutes before or after the actual loading process. A police officer or traffic warden will look to see whether the work is actually happening. The vast majority of delivery drivers and those receiving goods will be responsible about it, since they dont want the local council to be lobbied by citizens demanding a no loading zone.

A thread on Reddit complained about Delivery drivers blocking your driveway when theres ample space to park in the road and theyre not even delivering to your house.

A responder made the point: I have some neighbours who get p*****d off about this kind of thing and I really wish they would get a proper hobby instead of curtain twitching. Have some empathy for the driver - they have ridiculous targets to meet, they dont have time to figure out the local parking landscape. They arent hurting you, and theyll be gone before it can possibly be a problem.

A driver replied: As a delivery driver (and a pleasant, reasonable human being) I do not care in the slightest if youre upset about me blocking 2ft of your driveway for 27 seconds. If you can show me a quicker way to deliver to 160 stops everyday then please do .

Finally the advice could be, if its bothering you that much, get a moveable bollard - or leave the bins at the end of the drive.

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