Getting a car towed

[donkmeister]

If someone is blocking your driveway so you can't leave your property, is there any way in the UK to have them towed away more or less immediately?

My neighbour had this issue earlier (neighbours within a reasonable distance all had no knowledge of whose car it was) and I assumed that any towing would be a council-supplied service that would take a week to get arranged. It dawned on me that whilst I've seen cars being removed by the authorities in London, I don't know if privately getting an obstruction shifted is a thing across the UK.

Anyone know one way or the other? If so, do you just call any recovery service or do they have to be licenced specially?

[Ian Geary]

My brother once had his car relocated after a poor parking decison.

He called the plod thinking it had been stolen and they had put it in a road nearby.

So I think the police non emergency number would be a good starting point.

Hth

[LosingGrip]

Ive never arranged to get a car towed for blocking a drive. By all means report via 101 and they may do a keeper enquiry (IE check the system for a phone number and ask them to move it). But thats about it.

Maybe put something on a local Facebook group?

[reddiesel]

A lot of risk averse idiots on here . You want a mate preferably with an Explorer or Hilux , a rope , attach said rope to both vehicles and clear the obstruction from your driveway . I live adjacent to some assisted living accommodation and we are plagued by this sort of inconsiderate behaviour . We took the action I describe above several times and then got a warning sign knocked up by the local Joiner and the problem is solved . This is the problem with tolerant Englishmen . Inevitably you are walked over .

[Its Just Adz]

I can't see police or council helping, not in a time scale that would be suitable anyway.
You could call a small recovery company, but I expect you would be liable for the invoice.
Best bet would be as described above, drag it out of the way.

[paul_c123]

If a vehicle is causing an obstruction and blocking you, you can legally move it, but you can't damage it. Pragmatically this means you can't drag it on the handbrake. A recovery firm would normally use something like wheel dollies on the braked wheels:



If its an auto and in park and it was eg FWD so that the driven wheels aren't those with the handbrake applied too, you'd need to lift all 4 wheels/tyres.

[donkmeister]

Given we're back to dragging and dollies it's probably safe to say that the UK doesn't have the "call someone and the obstruction gets towed away" services that are a trope of films and TV.

Shame, could make a decent amount if the towed car owner was liable for the bill.

[Mad Maximus]

reddiesel said:

A lot of risk averse idiots on here . You want a mate preferably with an Explorer or Hilux , a rope , attach said rope to both vehicles and clear the obstruction from your driveway . I live adjacent to some assisted living accommodation and we are plagued by this sort of inconsiderate behaviour . We took the action I describe above several times and then got a warning sign knocked up by the local Joiner and the problem is solved . This is the problem with tolerant Englishmen . Inevitably you are walked over .

Just a small point being tolerant isn’t the problem. Absolute cokc wombles who take advantage of us is. I agree we should be less risk averse to sorting these types of issues.

[ARH]

When I was a kid back in the 70's someone parked blocking a neighbours drive whilst he was cutting his front grass. He asked the guy not to park there, parker just walked off telling him he could easily get out if he needed to. Neighbour went indoors and came out with a shotgun and shot all the tyres. The guy came back after hearing the shots, got in his car and drove off with 4 flat tyres. Turned out he was a double glazing salesman, he didn't get the window job.

I am not advising this action, but it will put the neighbours blocking a drive

[Pixel Pusher]

ARH said:

When I was a kid back in the 70's someone parked blocking a neighbours drive whilst he was cutting his front grass. He asked the guy not to park there, parker just walked off telling him he could easily get out if he needed to. Neighbour went indoors and came out with a shotgun and shot all the tyres. The guy came back after hearing the shots, got in his car and drove off with 4 flat tyres. Turned out he was a double glazing salesman, he didn't get the window job.

I am not advising this action, but it will put the neighbours blocking a drive

Ah, the 70's.

Good old days they were.

[mac96]

Pixel Pusher said:

ARH said:

When I was a kid back in the 70's someone parked blocking a neighbours drive whilst he was cutting his front grass. He asked the guy not to park there, parker just walked off telling him he could easily get out if he needed to. Neighbour went indoors and came out with a shotgun and shot all the tyres. The guy came back after hearing the shots, got in his car and drove off with 4 flat tyres. Turned out he was a double glazing salesman, he didn't get the window job.

I am not advising this action, but it will put the neighbours blocking a drive

Ah, the 70's.

Good old days they were.

Indeed! Also cars were lighter so getting a few mates to pick up and move the offender got around the parking brake problem!

[XCP]

Yep.
Did that with a Fiat 500.
Chap on each corner.
Mind you we were fitter then.

[Mr Tidy]

Done that with mates a few times in years gone by, mostly to Minis.

[Rangeroverer]

Hi, I thought if they parked blocking you in then it was an offence and police should act. It's when you can't get onto your drive it's not an offence.

[Cliftonite]

Rangeroverer said:

Hi, I thought if they parked blocking you in then it was an offence and police should act. It's when you can't get onto your drive it's not an offence.

I believe you are correct. But seems the police usually have more important and/or urgent matters to attend to rather than come and assist.

[GasEngineer]

Cliftonite said:

Rangeroverer said:

Hi, I thought if they parked blocking you in then it was an offence and police should act. It's when you can't get onto your drive it's not an offence.

I believe you are correct. But seems the police usually have more important and/or urgent matters to attend to rather than come and assist.

So back the original question - who is responsible for getting the illegally parked vehicle towed / moved?

[Sebring440]

GasEngineer said:

So back the original question - who is responsible for getting the illegally parked vehicle towed / moved?

Responsible? No one. Except, perhaps, the owner of the offending vehicle.

[fooman]

paul_c123 said:

If a vehicle is causing an obstruction and blocking you, you can legally move it, but you can't damage it. Pragmatically this means you can't drag it on the handbrake. A recovery firm would normally use something like wheel dollies on the braked wheels:



If its an auto and in park and it was eg FWD so that the driven wheels aren't those with the handbrake applied too, you'd need to lift all 4 wheels/tyres.

Expensive to keep in garage unless it's a frequent problem but you can maybe hire some

[GasEngineer]

Sebring440 said:

GasEngineer said:

So back the original question - who is responsible for getting the illegally parked vehicle towed / moved?

Responsible? No one. Except, perhaps, the owner of the offending vehicle.

Ok maybe the wrong word (though I'm sure you know what I meant).

So if a vehicle is illegally blocking a driveway or causing another type of obstruction and the police are too busy (as mentioned in the post)I was replying to) who has the legal authority to tow it away / move it? And how do you alert them to the obstruction.

[vikingaero]

The solution: Bounce.

It only take 3-4 non-powerfully built guys to bounce the vehicle into an awkward position in the road so that it gets towed.....