Legal Advice - Nuisance motorists

[Alanmelon]

A brief background;
My house (leasehold) is on an unadopted cul-de-sac in the city centre. To the best of my knowledge, the freeholder to the whole road (basically a gravel track) is a representative of the church's commission, but has no dealings with the road or it's occupants - I think the last peppercorn rent was claimed many years ago.

Each occupant makes efforts to reserve the land directly in front of their property for their own parking, but there is an area at the front of the road where it adjoins the main road, where other nearby residents have taken to using it as a convenient car park to leave their untaxed vehicles and as a method of circumventing permit charges. This leaves the road very difficult to navigate and is becoming a nuisance.

The question is, how much influence can I exert in trying to stop these rogue parkers? I'm thinking of contacting other residents for their backing, but is this something I can take into my own hands (eg clamping firm/notices) or is it going to be a case of going to the freeholder or the council? I've had a look at the handwritten lease from 1890 but it makes less sense than a Japanese text book on particle physics.

Any advice?

[etccarmageddon]

this might be of use:-

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/WhereYouLive/NoiseNuisanceAndLitter/DG_4001703

also if you catch any of these untaxed cars on public roads you can report them via a link on the dlva site.

[AndyCambs]

If there are untaxed vehicles on the highway - which includes the verges and pavements - then you could report them online to DVLA. They're stepping up patrols and certainly round here have taken to clamping untaxed vehicles.

Secondly, if it's causing an "eyesore" by churning up the grass, it might be worth speaking to your local councillor to see if they can put something in to stop the parking on a permanent basis - I was thinking more along the lines of small posts to physically prevent cars from being parked there. The applicable department at your local council would advise regarding the legalities and ownership of the land. I had a similar problem with the residential area being used as a through route for delivery vehicles. A petition to my local councillor (plus the advantage of a central government directive at the time of encouraging home zones) had the desired effect.

Summary:


Untaxed vehicles - report online to DVLA (that should sort out those)
Parking - speak to your neighbours about a petition, and also your local councillor