Homeowner’s fury as council erects two bollards on pavement outside her home that has blocked access to her driveway
- The homeowner, from Darlington, said they only installed the drive in March
- The council says it would have warned her against this if she had told them first
A furious homeowner says she has been left unable to use her own driveway after the council erected two bollards directly outside her home.
The resident says the barriers, which have been put up outside a house in Darlington, County Durham, to stop people driving over a school crossing, have ‘blocked’ her drive.
The homeowner, who wishes to remain anonymous, says she feels she has been ‘discriminated’ against and now has to park on a neighbouring street.
She has urged the council, which installed a section of tactile pavement outside her home in 2018 to increase the safety of parents and primary school children.
However, the woman – who installed the driveway in March – is now pleading with the council to remove the bollards and relocate the crossing – although the local authority says if she had come to it first, it would have warned her against building it in the first place.
The homeowner says they’ve been left ‘blocked’ from using their own driveway after the bollards were installed (pictured)
The bollards have been installed directly outside the property to stop people driving over a school crossing
She says that after nearly five years of witnessing traffic issues along the road, better infrastructure should be installed in a safer place.
She said: ‘I didn’t initially know you couldn’t drive over it and we only had the driveway done at the end of March.
‘A highways inspector drove past, stopped, and told my husband he was legally not allowed to park there.
‘We did have grass and a footpath but the tree roots completely uplifted it, so we installed the paved driveway.
‘We were totally naive and just assumed as it was a dropped kerb we would be able to use it.’
A letter from the council followed in May which stated bollards would be installed if the path was damaged to stop vehicles driving over it.
The woman added: ‘This was just a warning sign, we haven’t used it since, yet they still came and installed the bollards.’
In response, the council says it wasn’t alerted that the driveway would be paved and would have warned the residents it could not be accessed due to the nearby crossing.
READ MORE HERE: Man who had sex with his wife over a bollard to get revenge on the neighbour who installed it in a row over parking must pay her £250 compensation for the distress caused
The couple’s car is now parked on a neighbouring street and hasn’t been used since March.
She said: ‘I feel like we’ve been made an example of and discriminated against.
‘I don’t think they needed to go to this extreme, I’m so embarrassed.
‘It just looks awful and whenever I look out the window I’m faced with this. I keep my blinds closed now.’
During the school run, parked cars flank either side of the road with vehicles forced to squeeze through tight gaps while also staying aware of schoolchildren crossing.
There are no warning signs suggesting a school crossing is ahead but a lollipop lady is currently managing the traffic.
Local councillor Deborah Laing sympathises with the resident but says requests to relocate the crossing, in partnership with the council, have failed so far.
Cllr Laing said: ‘It’s very difficult and we have asked the questions but we have not got anywhere yet.
‘She has everything going against her and we’re trying to find a feasible solution. I can understand the council’s decision but I really sympathise with her as it’s very difficult in the village with parking.’
A Darlington Borough Council spokesperson added: ‘There must be a properly constructed vehicle crossing if residents want to park on a driveway.
‘The location must be inspected by the Highways Authority to ensure it is safe. We always try to accommodate requests but there are occasions when we have to refuse, for example, if it’s close to a junction or crossing.
‘On this occasion the resident did not contact the Highway Authority before building their block paving.
‘If they had, they would have been advised that a vehicle crossing would not be allowed due to the existing crossing, which is also a school crossing patrol location and has been for many years.
‘We have been in discussions with the resident for several months and have explored the possibility of moving the crossing point but this has not been possible due to on street parking, bus stops and nearby road junctions.
‘The resident told us they would be extending their fence to close the gap but this has not happened so reluctantly we have had to install bollards to prevent cars driving over the footpath.
‘It is regretful that we were unable to help this resident but we have a duty of care to keep everyone safe.’
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