Neighbours at war over 'inconsiderate' note with locals divided on who's right

01 October 2023 , 13:04

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The firmly worded note sparked furore (Image: Kennedy News and Media)

A local war has erupted between Derby neighbours following after a spate of notes were left on car windscreens blasting their “inconsiderate” parking.

One resident has begun leaving the notes berating those who she accuses of poor parking in her narrow street, blocking her from reversing into her corner rear drive. The semi-retired NHS mental health complaints officer left a note for the alleged culprit to demand they park more thoughtfully - but the response was a social media post describing her as “ridiculous”.

“I am not a bad driver but the angle of the parked car restricted my view,” the woman said. “I'm not looking for any aggro but I wrote a note - it was not a snotty one but politely worded. I was just pointing out that I was being blocked from entering my drive by his parking but he was so defensive.”

The woman feels she has not enough space to get into and out of her drive (Kennedy News and Media)

Web developer Lliam Green shared the note on his Facebook and showed photos of the drive he was accused of blocking - saying it was “completely unblocked”. He said he was “filled with dread” when he saw the note on his BMW and argued that the woman had “complete access” to the driveway. But now social media has erupted in debate over who's in the right. The woman told MailOnline that she had left notes on poorly parked cars in the past - as had many of her neighbours. Her neighbours backed the woman for “doing the right thing”, the woman said. In order to have easy access out of her drive for her Nissan Qashqai, which has a blocked view due to a hedge and a large telegraph pole to make things even more difficult, the woman always reverses into her drive.

“I am not a bad driver but the angle of the parked car restricted my view as there is also a large telegraph pole outside, which the car driver should have seen and taken into account,” she said. “Parking is a regular occurrence here, and the pole is part of the problem. Whilst the drive may look like a blank space there is not a lot of wiggle room if a car, like last Saturday, is parked right outside, and it was a few inches over my drive. I didn't recognise the car but I wrote a polite note and put it on the windscreen. It simply said 'Please park more considerately. You have made it impossible to access my drive.'” “It wasn't snotty, nasty or aggressive,” the woman added, “but it sounds like he got very defensive if he had to post about it. I was just pointing it out politely. I can't believe how this has escalated!”

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Social media users debated about who was in the wrong

But dad-of-two Lliam from Stoke-on-Trent said she was being “excessive and a bit over-protective about a street that we all pay our council tax for”. He added: “I just had a right laugh thinking 'impossible access' is a bit far. I can appreciate it can be a bit frustrating but I could see they had complete access so I didn't know what the problem was.'

Many online disagreed with his post, with one saying: “They are going to struggle getting on the drive from the left. Personally, I think you're in ignorant t**t parking like that.” Another added: “Slightly ridiculous claim that they can't get in or out. But they have a point if they want to turn right out of their drive.”

One user said: “Everyone assumes it's the resident who can't access their drive. They may be waiting on a delivery of building materials or having work done that needs clear access.” Another added: “Impossible is a bit of a stretch but it would irritate me if it's frequent.”

Lliam Green posted his parking on Facebook as he felt the note was harsh (Kennedy News and Media)

Sales manager Jim Bradley, who lives on the same street, said: “The resident who put a letter on a windscreen had every right. I am always putting polite notes on cars. We have one of the oldest streets in the village. We're always complaining about the parking but the council does nothing.” "I'm sick of the parking here, it is a massive problem. I don't have off-street parking so have to use the road and it needs some restrictive lines or permits,” said fellow neighbour Colin Blount. “The other day a fire engine couldn't get down the road.”

But many supported Lliam’s complaints. One commented: “What are they driving? You can fit a bus through that gap!” to which Liam responded: “No idea but I'm thankful it wasn't a tank.” Another added: “If you can't park a car in there you shouldn't be driving!”

Alex Croft