Neighbour deliberately destroying verge
Neighbour deliberately destroying verge
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Biker9090

Original Poster:

1,755 posts

60 months

Friday 23rd January
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The initial message was deleted from this topic on 17 February 2026 at 15:25

hidetheelephants

33,699 posts

216 months

Friday 23rd January
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Copy your neighbours, get some enormous boulders and place them haphazardly on the verge so it's impossible to park anything with less ground clearance than Bigfoot, it's common enough in the nearest town to me on streets with that layout, pavement-grass-road, as some people are just selfish pricks. They do need to be big though, otherwise they're too easy to shift even by lazy selfish pricks and boulders that big will be expensive.

Slow.Patrol

4,323 posts

37 months

Friday 23rd January
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Have you spoken to the council as they are the land owners?

Perhaps send them some photos of the car and the damage.

(Being PH, I hope you have checked for MOT, Tax and insurance)

We've had similar, although the land was privately owned. We found boulders are expensive and often get stolen, so used bits of tree trunk to good effect.

hidetheelephants

33,699 posts

216 months

Friday 23rd January
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Good idea; tree trunks are probably going to be cheaper than large boulders if a tree surgeon is doing a local job and as a bonus are useful habitat for critters as they slowly rot away.

normalbloke

8,470 posts

242 months

Friday 23rd January
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Move. Standard PH response..

paul_c123

1,858 posts

16 months

Friday 23rd January
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1) They're not deliberately destroying the verge, they're parking their car there.
2) You can't legally put anything in the road like bollards, since its an obstruction

If the grass is no longer and its just mud, you could fill the holes and level it up with hardcore. That way, it will be more durable.

JQ

6,581 posts

202 months

Friday 23rd January
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hidetheelephants said:
Copy your neighbours, get some enormous boulders and place them haphazardly on the verge so it's impossible to park anything with less ground clearance than Bigfoot, it's common enough in the nearest town to me on streets with that layout, pavement-grass-road, as some people are just selfish pricks. They do need to be big though, otherwise they're too easy to shift even by lazy selfish pricks and boulders that big will be expensive.
This. I definitely wouldn’t be asking for permission, just get on with it.

Mr E

22,708 posts

282 months

Friday 23rd January
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Slow.Patrol said:
Have you spoken to the council as they are the land owners?
My local parish council planted rose bushes to prevent this.

dundarach

5,974 posts

251 months

Friday 23rd January
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I had similar, spoke to local parish council and suggested I build a lovely 'free library' thingy.

They said, lovely idea and paid for it, it's resting on a nice large brick pillar and amazingly the problem has gone away.

Also, all the old folk and little kids love me too smile

RizzoTheRat

28,037 posts

215 months

Friday 23rd January
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paul_c123 said:
If the grass is no longer and its just mud, you could fill the holes and level it up with hardcore. That way, it will be more durable.
I used to know someone who did this on the patch of grass between the pavement and their house that they used to park on and was getting churned up. The council made them remove it.
Its council land and presumably they mow it (when it's actually grass) so they're probably not going to be happy with you putting anything on there that's not agreed beforehand.

paul_c123

1,858 posts

16 months

Friday 23rd January
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Biker9090 said:
I'm waiting on a response from them. Typically they operate in geological time....

Yeah, it's all legal on the face of it.

They do have something very odd going on though.

Leaving at 08:30.
Back an hour later.
Leaving again at 10:30 and back soon after.
Leaving again at 14:00 and back at 19:30.

The car is then parked there like clockwork every single night.

Neither seem to work or even dress remotely like they are (constant gym clothing but neither look to even know what one is) yet they're in a (current value) £60k car (I'm guessing leased) and a council house......

(I wfh in an upstairs front room so see them everyday)
I'd try to not let it bother you. There's not much you can do about it.

Colonel Cupcake

1,330 posts

68 months

Friday 23rd January
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Biker9090 said:
JQ said:
This. I definitely wouldn t be asking for permission, just get on with it.
I would do but what happens if someone knocks into it - am I then not going to be liable?
Why would you be liable? You didn't put it there, did you?

A500leroy

7,743 posts

141 months

Friday 23rd January
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If the land in question doesn't belong to you, legally you can't do anything.

JQ

6,581 posts

202 months

Friday 23rd January
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Colonel Cupcake said:
Biker9090 said:
JQ said:
This. I definitely wouldn t be asking for permission, just get on with it.
I would do but what happens if someone knocks into it - am I then not going to be liable?
Why would you be liable? You didn't put it there, did you?
This. And just make sure it’s big enough and white enough to be completely visible.

If you’re properly nervous perhaps take a photo of it just so you have a record of how bloody obvious it is.

RSTurboPaul

12,785 posts

281 months

Friday 23rd January
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Sounds like that patch of grass needs watering nightly to make sure the grass can grow - taking care of course to not turn it into a boggy quagmire that makes a mess of one's shoes and car should one park there and therefore becomes unattractive as a parking spot...

InitialDave

14,328 posts

142 months

Friday 23rd January
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You can't stop peasants being peasants.

As others have said, put something to block them fitting a car on there. Preferably big/heavy enough that they have no chance of moving it themselves.

RotorRambler

851 posts

13 months

Friday 23rd January
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Park your car there, buy an old car to leave there.
Own the space!

surveyor

18,596 posts

207 months

Friday 23rd January
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We had similar, which was caused by Network Rail parking, and made it pretty hard to see on occasions when leaving my drive - especially when a transit type van parked behind the Discovery. Signalman told me that they had always parked here and always would. Challenge accepted.



18 months later Network Rail laid new grass. Staff have been told it's a disciplinary to park on it and there is a little bit of signage on my railing.



9 months later Council eventually put posts up after I got the Parish Council on my side. Only downside is the grass is pretty dead around the posts as every dog in the village stops for a wee!



It takes commitment and persistence!

Swervin_Mervin

4,881 posts

261 months

Friday 23rd January
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If it's adopted highway, which it probably is, then inform the Council (assuming they're your Highway Authority) of the damage that's being done. It's their job to maintain the verge, and by someone destroying the verge that's going to increase the maintenance liability.

They may not/probably won't either give a monkeys or have the resource to do anything about it. Just be advised that if you put anything in the adopted highway that causes an obstruction or damage then you could be liable. Again, though, the Council probably won't give a s**t because they don't have the resources.

ETA - depending on how active your local councillors are (not parish ones - proper councillors) then it can be worth getting them onside. If we want any potholes fixing quickly near us then people just badger the local Lib Dem and all of a sudden the hole gets filled the next morning.

Edited by Swervin_Mervin on Friday 23 January 15:36

andburg

8,550 posts

192 months

Friday 23rd January
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given the other parking thread on here, buy a cheap caravan and stick it there.