Blocking field access - wwyd? (longish!)

Nudibranch

Nudibranch

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We live down a tiny, isolated road, just us and one house further along. They've just bought the house and had a massive conversion project done with literally dozens of builders. The access to "our" field was being continually blocked by diggers, vans, trucks, you name it. The regular guys got to know us and the horses, so avoided parking there. But every day there would be new tradesmen who parked across the gate so in the end I bought a polite sign and hung it on the gate.

It wasn't 100% successful and some days I literally couldn't get through the gate. So we had a polite word with the site manager and the new neighbours. All seemed well.

Then for the last few days the neighbour herself has been parking square in front of the gate, sign and all! I cant get the horses in or out while her car is there. She knows that, she's stopped for a chat several times while I've had one or another other tied up, or been riding through...whatever. I don't know what to do now!

I am wondering if it's a deliberate thing - her family owns all the land round here, it's all very feudal, and the field belongs to her brother. They won't sell any land, hence we have to rent the grazing. However it is a public right of way apart from anything else - a stony track clearly marked on OS maps as right of way. The farmer hasn't said anything because he's easy going and as I say it's all a bit feudal. But he wouldn't be able to get access to the sheep either. I don't feel I can say something yet again.

Help!
 
Could you say you are worried that whilst getting the horses in and out you could damage her car accidentally? Or maybe say if they do need to park there could they consider making an alternative entrance
 
Straight up ask her why she is parking in front of the gate as she knows it blocks your access.

At least then if it happens again you know that it's done deliberately and they want you out.
 
Antw23uk said:
Get horse shoe and hammer, place horse shoe against side of car and wack with hammer. Walk away... Deny all knowledge
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Nooooo don't Nudibranch you might end up with homeless horses, we can not live far away from each other and I laughed when I read your feudal comment .
Bide your time a little while .
 
Goldenstar said:
Nooooo don't Nudibranch you might end up with homeless horses, we can not live far away from each other and I laughed when I read your feudal comment .
Bide your time a little while .
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Nooo don't do that -instead get a fresh pile and tip it down the car, from usual emission height and make sure it hits the drivers door window & handle.
 
s4sugar said:
Nooo don't do that -instead get a fresh pile and tip it down the car, from usual emission height and make sure it hits the drivers door window & handle.
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Ha..speak to whoever you pay your money too and then look for somewhere else if they are going to be like this. If you live at the end of the same track? Just make sure you take your horses home sometimes ie past the blockage and then complain to highways as they shouldnt be parking etc etc ROW blah blah. But I would talk to whoever you pay the rent to first to appeal to their better nature. Even ask if they dont want you there anymore ie do they want their field back as you have been really happy for 100years renting it(sob story), always pay on time etc. Perhaps money may talk????Then do the above with the fresh pile of xxxx if all else fails.Flying turds.
 
I have had exactly the same problem with new people who have moved in the lane. Their builders started parking in the gateway, so we put up a sign and contacted the bulders office who assurred us they wouldn't park there which the main ones don't. Its the contractors who do and if I get ther and its blocked I just blast my horn til they come and move. They must think I am a right miserable cow and hate me but they have been asked, it is obviously in use as the tracks go into the field. They have also reversed into the gatepost and broken it and trashed the wide mown verge with all their vehicles and rubble.
Thankfully they have nearly finished.
 
In the interests of good neighbour relations, but so as not to be seen as a victim, I would be going along and knocking on her door. Ask politely if there is a reason why she is parking her car in the field entrance, because she is blocking you getting to your horses. Then sympathetically try and find a solution - can she park on her own land or is it too full of builder stuff, could you suggest an alternative.
You are assuming she is doing it deliberately, and she might or might not. You will never know if you don't ask, but politeness is a hard one to rail against so always be polite and constructive - she will find it really hard to be awkward if you are. But just in case, have the legal situation at your fingertips so that if she won't budge, just tell her she is obstructing a right of way and if she persists you wil take photgraphs and send them to the ROW officer at the council. Don't fight fire with fire - I have seen that deteriorate into all out war too many times in the past!
 
Yes, try and keep things civil - speak to the field owner or to her as politely as you can, and try and sort things out nicely - especially if you don't own the field and she is related to the person that does. Even if it is highly tempting, muck on her car etc will more than likely to end up with you being kicked off the field and would make you worse than she is...

I do understand - our neighbours used to instruct their builders to park on my dad's drive rather than their own and it drove us mad!!
 
Honey08 said:
Yes, try and keep things civil - speak to the field owner or to her as politely as you can, and try and sort things out nicely - especially if you don't own the field and she is related to the person that does. Even if it is highly tempting, muck on her car etc will more than likely to end up with you being kicked off the field and would make you worse than she is...

I do understand - our neighbours used to instruct their builders to park on my dad's drive rather than their own and it drove us mad!!
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Good God, what sort of neighbours have you got?
Did they not get on with you or something?
 
I think you need to speak to the brother who has let you the field. It's a bit tricky because if you make a nuisance of yourself, they may decide the easy option is to not re-let the field to you and it does sound a very convenient arrangement!

Personally, I try to never initiate a confrontation unless I have all the artillery and ammunition to back it up!

I've forgotten most of the law I learnt at college but I think this might be what we are talking about:

Doctrine of non-derogation from grants
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The doctrine of non-derogation from grants is a principle of the law of England and Wales. As the House of Lords explained in British Leyland Motor Corp. v. Armstrong Patents Co., it states that a seller of realty or goods is not permitted to take any action (such as bringing an infringement action) that will lessen the value to the buyer of the thing sold.

So, basically, you have been leased a field but now find you have no access. That is surely something you should take up with your landlord as the field is no longer in the state he leased it to you.

As an alternative, how about arranging a schedule with your landlord's sister? "I need to get my horse in and out of the field between the hours of *** and ***. Can we please agree that you or your contractors won't block the field entrance between those times?" or something along those lines?

Compromise is always the best way forwards. Presumably her building works will not go on forever.
 
cremedemonthe said:
[/B]

Good God, what sort of neighbours have you got?
Did they not get on with you or something?
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No, we were a bit too nice to them initially! They bought the house from my dad, and totally gutted it, Dad lives in the barn across the road from them and has a nice little turning circle drive that is much easier to get into than their drive. While they were gutting the house, dad offered a parking spot on his drive until their drive was clear, and they've taken advantage of it ever since (ten years later) causing havoc. Dad is simply too nice to say anything, even though it drives him mad and has been a pain as we are constantly blocked in. I can barely speak to them nowadays, I just find them too self centred and rude to be true!
 
Honey08 said:
No, we were a bit too nice to them initially! They bought the house from my dad, and totally gutted it, Dad lives in the barn across the road from them and has a nice little turning circle drive that is much easier to get into than their drive. While they were gutting the house, dad offered a parking spot on his drive until their drive was clear, and they've taken advantage of it ever since (ten years later) causing havoc. Dad is simply too nice to say anything, even though it drives him mad and has been a pain as we are constantly blocked in. I can barely speak to them nowadays, I just find them too self centred and rude to be true!
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Must be awful.
 
Some really dim replies to this thread, damaging the neighbour's car will not achieve anything for the OP other than worsening relations, giving the family rise to evict her from her field, and damaging someone else's belongings.

OP I would go round there and have a very friendly chat, ask her if there is any reason why she feels the need to park there. Either that or park your own car/wheelbarrow/something large there, or some obvious cones perhaps?
 
I had this problem with a new neighbour when I rented my own place. I used to arrive at 7.30-8am in the morning and to prove a point I would either knock on their door (they were the lazy types who stayed in bed until after 9am) or park in front of their car (which was dumped in the middle of a communal drive meaning I couldn't get past to my own parking spot) and go for a long hack. I got back one day to find Mr Idiot panicking, because he needed to be somewhere, so I politely reminded him that I had knocked on the door numerous times, but he still insisted on blocking the drive and I didn't like to wake them up early on a Sunday. Funnily enough, it more or less stopped, bar the odd occasion when I would again block him in and he'd come running across the field, grovelling. ;)
 
To be honest if they own the land then its up to them!

I dont think they are doing it in a nasty way.
Its obviously difficult for them with builders around.

Just keep asing them to move (politky) everytime you need access.

They will either get fed up having the move their car or realise how much you actually need access and make more of an effort to part somewhere else.
 
Can you not just park your car across your gate and leave it there? Means she won't be able to park there? Yes you may have to walk up and down the lane but after a few weeks she may get the hint?

Failing that your going to have to speak to the famer, some of the farmers with access issues round here (fly tipping) pop big stones or tractor tyres in front of the gates to stop people parking there to tip.
 
Something similar used to happen to me when I lived at the back of a block of forestry. The forstry bods would park their cars right in the middle of a single track acess road and then wander off into the wood looking at trees.

Eventually, my patience snapped and I'd just lean on the horn until they came scrurrying out with red faces to move the offending vehicle. They never did get the message! Really annoying when you're in a hurry.

Probably not a good idea to follow most of the suggestions here (criminal damage?) and it is also an offence to incite people to break the law. Posters may be anonymous but HHO could be forced to reveal identities by a court, witness the recent defamation cases on Twitter!:eek:
 
Tbh that would really annoy me after having mentioned it numerous time. Probably a muppet townie that has no idea how inconvenient it is. I'd be telling her in no uncertain terms not to park her ********* car in the way. If that didn't work I'd park my car so she can't get out and leave it there all day. If that didn't work she'd be apt to find that my horse had accidently knocked a wing mirror off.. Then she'd perhaps understand.
 
I also live in the middle of a "feudal estate", and indeed rent a field from the estate.

I've also had a lot of building/landscaping work done to my home. Really would suggest biting your tongue, as I suspect the car is being plonked in the gate way to keep it away from the site. Its a real palather (stops everyone working) moving vehicles during work hours.

Can I suggest having a friendly chat with the car owner and working out times for access that suit you both. ie maybe turning out before the builders start for the day etc. Bear in mind that the car owner might be starting to get rather stressed by the builidng work, especially if its being going on for some time.
 
Some very funny replies!

Interestingly there are are lots of other verges to park and even a little layby where she was parking until last week. Most of the builder vans are gone so I don't see the need, hence why I'm wondering if it's deliberate.

I will ask - again - when I next see her and make sure I leave the wheelbarrow, etc there as often as possible. Horses are out 24/7 so don't need to turn out but I do need to be able to get them through the gate at times! And it is a public right of way so who owns the field is irrelevant (in answer to an earlier reply) as the right of way is blocked - you can't do this even if that land belongs to your family!
 
My farm is right at the very end of a dead end lane. We have 2 entrances to the farm, one is a very long driveway that leads to our house and barn etc. The other leads into our hay meadows. In hunting season every year I have hunters parking on and totally blocking access (although we can get to the hay meadows from the main driveway too). This hacks me off so every year at the beginning of hunting season I drop 2 large round bales where the driveway meets the lane and that does the trick. When I'm late putting them down there and there is already a hunters truck there I always have this overwhelming urge to take the big tractor down there with 2 bales on the spikes and park behind their vehicle with the bales suspended above their truck!
 
Nudibranch said:
Some very funny replies!

Interestingly there are are lots of other verges to park and even a little layby where she was parking until last week. Most of the builder vans are gone so I don't see the need, hence why I'm wondering if it's deliberate.

I will ask - again - when I next see her and make sure I leave the wheelbarrow, etc there as often as possible. Horses are out 24/7 so don't need to turn out but I do need to be able to get them through the gate at times! And it is a public right of way so who owns the field is irrelevant (in answer to an earlier reply) as the right of way is blocked - you can't do this even if that land belongs to your family!
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Oh, that's different!

A quiet word with the council way leaves officer and bobs your uncle! Just drop a hint that your name must not be mentioned as the complainant as that would breach your rights to privacy!;)
 
Spring Feather said:
My farm is right at the very end of a dead end lane. We have 2 entrances to the farm, one is a very long driveway that leads to our house and barn etc. The other leads into our hay meadows. In hunting season every year I have hunters parking on and totally blocking access (although we can get to the hay meadows from the main driveway too). This hacks me off so every year at the beginning of hunting season I drop 2 large round bales where the driveway meets the lane and that does the trick. When I'm late putting them down there and there is already a hunters truck there I always have this overwhelming urge to take the big tractor down there with 2 bales on the spikes and park behind their vehicle with the bales suspended above their truck!
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Love it!
 
Can you acquire some traffic cones from somewhere and put them in the gateway? At the very least, if someone wanted to park there, they would have to get out of their car and move them and most people wouldn't even want that hassle.
 
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