We have a responsibility to keep the roads and footpaths in the borough safe to use. Illegally parked vehicles cost us thousands of pounds a year in damaged paving and grass verges, and are a potential hazard to pedestrians who may be blind, use a wheelchair, or have to step into the road to avoid the obstruction.
When we can take action
We can only take action against motorists who park:
- on a road, pavement or verge where there are parking restrictions or yellow lines (single, double or zig zag)
- alongside a kerb that's been lowered for a pedestrian crossing
We can issue motorists who park on a pavement or verge where there are waiting restrictions (yellow lines) with a parking ticket, known as a Penalty Charge Notice, as they're in contravention of a traffic order. Waiting restrictions cover the highway from the centre of the road to the back of the footpath. Find more information about parking on pavements in The Highway Code.
It's an offence to park alongside kerbs that have been lowered to make it easier for pedestrians, including wheelchair users, pushchair users and the visually impaired, to get on and off the pavement. We actively enforce against obstructing pedestrian dropped kerbs.
When we can't take action
We can't take any action against motorists who park on a road, pavement or verge where there are no parking restrictions or yellow lines. This includes private driveways or business premises.
Please don't report these to us using our online form - in these cases you should ring the police non-emergency number (101) to report the obstructing vehicle.
Report a parking obstruction
You can check if an obstruction's already been reported to us on the map below.
Reported obstructive parking map
If the obstruction you want to report isn't on the map, use our online form to report motorists who are parked:
- on a pavement or verge where there are waiting restrictions (yellow lines) on the road next to it
- alongside a kerb that's been lowered to make it easier for pedestrians to get on and off the pavement
Please note, reports won't be picked up outside office hours or over bank holidays.
After you've made your report
After you've submitted the form you'll be returned to this webpage where you’ll see the issue you’ve reported has appeared as a pin on the map. You might need to wait a couple of minutes and refresh your screen to be able to see the status of the pin on the map.
The pin will stay on the map for at least 28 days, during which time you can come back to the webpage to check the status of your report.
Once the pin drops off the map you won't be able make further enquiries about your report, unless you have a reference number.
What we'll do
We'll investigate your report and take enforcement action against anyone contravening a traffic regulation order by issuing a parking fine (Penalty Charge Notice).