So if I did this, would I be breaking the law?

wolfie138 · 29 Jun 2018 at 13:58

Rossi~ said:
No. It is an offence to clamp cars regardless of charge. It is an offence to clamp, tow, block-in or immobilise a vehicle without lawful authority on private land under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

fromthe OP then, can they not call the cops on the guys, given he says how they seem to park in away that block others in?

anyways, maybe a simple solution would be a simple set of posts hammered into the ground w/ a length of chain across?

Howard · 29 Jun 2018 at 15:00

wolfie138 said:
anyways, maybe a simple solution would be a simple set of posts hammered into the ground w/ a length of chain across?

I would say this is the most sensible idea. Perhaps with a sign hanging off it. Those who are entitled to park there just undo the chain. If someone still parked there wrongly, block them in and leave your phone number so you can have a little chat.

Burnsy2023 · 29 Jun 2018 at 15:43

Howard said:
I can't imagine leaving the weight of a car sitting on a deflated tyre is going to do it any good, so I can understand that.

One important point about criminal damage is that it "need not be permanent". The classic example is throwing eggs at a window, it has been damaged although it could be washed away.

Property which has been damaged is that which has suffered some physical harm, impairment or deterioration.

By letting the air out of the tyres you have impaired the vehicle.

Conscript said:
Fair enough. As Moo pointed out, covered under trespass anyway.

Trespass is civil, criminal damage is obviously, criminal. Police aren't interested in the former.

smilertoo · 29 Jun 2018 at 18:23

only reasonable solution is to block it in a way you and neighbour can still use it.

theone8181 · 29 Jun 2018 at 18:58

smilertoo said:
fit a set of electric bollards.

Under each space for maximum effect

.

jigger · 29 Jun 2018 at 19:11

GeX said:
Fit a gate, that's about the only option imo.

That's what I would do. Or possibly invoice them for storage.

m4rmite · 29 Jun 2018 at 20:19

Block em in, pay kids under 10 to stick a banana up the exhaust, fish under the bonnet/wheel arches, throw pooh over the car... etc
Put nail tracks down on your property so when they drive over they get flats, not criminal as they are trespassing.

Send your kids round, kids scare anything.

Put a sign up " free car if you can steal it", a challenge will do the trick.
Torch it.

Or wait for the driver and tell them it's private property and that it's parked at it's own risk

dacads · 29 Jun 2018 at 20:48

How would they know who let the tyres down anyway?

smilertoo · 29 Jun 2018 at 20:54

dacads said:
How would they know who let the tyres down anyway?

dashcams.

K.C. Leblanc · 29 Jun 2018 at 20:59

peterwalkley said:
Would this thread suggest a suitable solution: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/neighbours-bird-feed-and-bird-poo-over-my-car.18697568/

Despite doing my best to deter them we also have a major problem with birds that seem to excrete poocrete. It doesn't however put people off parking. I'm thinking if I lobby my mp to make it a legal requirement for cars to have letter boxes this might change.

theone8181 · 29 Jun 2018 at 21:32

smilertoo said:
dashcams.

Wear a hood or approach from the side?

smilertoo · 29 Jun 2018 at 23:46

ive seen garages keep birds away with hawk kites on long whip aerials.

K.C. Leblanc · 30 Jun 2018 at 00:29

smilertoo said:
ive seen garages keep birds away with hawk kites on long whip aerials.

If i get one kite that looks like a hawk and another that looks like a door to door mormon preacher this might work

Finglonga · 30 Jun 2018 at 08:21

We used to block them in at work with other cars and then when they asked for the car to removed they had at least a 30 minute wait, they were far from happy but never repeat offended. There is a very thin line between criminal damage so you don't want to go messing with cars.

BongoHunter · 2 Jul 2018 at 22:53

You could put flyer/notes on the windows with some horrible glue - no danger of criminal damage, and the sheer inconvenience will deter repeat offenders!

wigster · 3 Jul 2018 at 00:41

Having a parking space can be a nightmare, I rent a flat and below is a business with a space when they close we are allowed to use it after 6pm, its even in our contract but their cleaner comes and parks in it even though i have repeatedly told the cleaner after 6 its our parking.

Dr Who · 3 Jul 2018 at 02:20

Get some wheel jacks, push the car out of the car park to somewhere really dumb and illegal, call police, video and post to youtube

Brookert · 3 Jul 2018 at 08:07

wigster said:
Having a parking space can be a nightmare, I rent a flat and below is a business with a space when they close we are allowed to use it after 6pm, its even in our contract but their cleaner comes and parks in it even though i have repeatedly told the cleaner after 6 its our parking.

Sounds like the cleaner is just trying to do their job?

Dunks · 3 Jul 2018 at 08:08

Conscript said:
Really? I can see slashing tyres as criminal damage, but does letting air out of them count? (i'm not condoning it, just curious )

What if you let the air out, the person driving the car doesn't notice (i.e they're run-flats so the stiff sidewall makes it tricky to notice) and they hit the motorway and all of a sudden the tyre starts to disintegrate?

Plus driving any tyre completely without air results in the tyre needing replaced, imagine having to replace 4 off Michelin PS4's!

wigster · 3 Jul 2018 at 08:32

Brookert said:
Sounds like the cleaner is just trying to do their job?

Not really when the cleaner isn't allowed to park in the space after 6 as its for the tenant plus the cleaner doesn't need to park there to do the job.

The agency I'm with has spoke to the landlord about this which stopped the cleaner parking there for a bit, We were told the cleaner shouldn't be arriving at 6.

We said yes to this place because it had parking.