Neighbour left nasty note then blocked our driveway ‘in protest’

Neighbour left nasty note then blocked our driveway ‘in protest’ 'They also said they worked for the council and could get any fine cancelled' A homeowner was forced to park in front of a neighbour’s house - because someone had left their car in front of theirs - and they retaliated by blocking their drive. The resident said the neighbour was ‘rude and aggressive’ when confronted - and claimed they were told it was done ‘in protest’ for parking outside their house. And after reporting it to the council, the person then said they worked there - and could get any fine simply ‘cancelled’. Taking to Reddit the resident said: “I’m based in England and recently had a note left on my car from a neighbour saying please stop parking outside my house (not a dropped curb and no driveway is blocked by doing so). “My husband parks on our drive, so if someone has parked outside of my own house, I will then park wherever there is space which occasionally happens to be the space outside their house. Totally legal, the space does not belong to anyone, it must just be an inconvenience to the neighbour.” But this week a flashpoint ensured: “Last night I had to park in that space, and then witnessed the neighbour pull up outside my house and park fully in front of our driveway. We knocked on their door and had no answer so I reported it to the council, which apparently (and hopefully!) can result in a £70 fine. “After that, we knocked on the door again and they did answer, saying they parked there in “protest” to me parking my car outside their house. I get it might be annoying, but they don’t own the space, it is public! They were very rude and aggressive, said that I was “disrespectful”for parking there (despite them literally parking in front of our driveway!!!) They also said that if you report us, they work for the council and will just get the fine cancelled. “My question is that if they are fined, is it possible that they can avoid paying it purely because they work for the council? That is seriously wrong if so!!!” Users said that if provable, the person could face disciplinary action. One said: “‘I work for the council and will get the fine cancelled’ is likely gross misconduct if that helps. All council officers have to abide by the code of conduct, and comments like that are certainly in breach. “If you know which council it is, you could always make a code of conduct complaint about them, but that’s about as nuclear as you can go so don’t do that lightly. They could end up fired over that.” However one added: “Highly unlikely to get past a union rep without evidence. ‘he said; she said’ won’t cut it at the tribunal.” Another said: “It’s the police you need, not the council. The council would physically need to visit and issue a PCN anyway. They are not issued based on reports alone. If your husband’s car was on the drive, tell the police you are obstructed as you need to be somewhere. Obstruction is an offence, not a civil matter like a PCN, so the police need to be involved. Don’t let the police fob you off by saying ‘parking’ is a council matter. Insist that this is a case of obstruction.” Police are very clear on this issue. Metropolitan Police said: “If a parking space is available on a public road, even if it’s directly outside your house, anyone is allowed to park in it. We appreciate this can be frustrating, especially if spaces are hard to come by on your street.” For more advice on parking issues click here.