How can I report illegal parking?

Reporting someone for illegal parking may sound rude, but if it’s preventing you from getting your car out then it needs to be done.

Here’s what you need to know about reporting illegal parking.

How can I report illegal parking?

You should report illegal parking to your local authority, which is responsible for most public street parking issues in your area.

The council could also be responsible for some parking lots and other areas.

Others have phone numbers, email addresses, and postal addresses that people can send reports to.

You will usually need information about the location, the nature of the crime and when the crime is likely to take place.

For example, if you want to report someone for illegally parking in a certain place at a certain time of the week, you have to give all this information to the municipality.

You can then act on the alert and send a park ranger there if the offense is likely.

If a vehicle causes an obstruction, when parked in zigzag lines, or when it blocks emergency services from accessing a site, you can report it to the local authority or to the police non-emergency number 101.

You can also report the disability to the police in person by going to the nearest police station or by visiting your local police station’s website.

If a vehicle has been parked in a dangerous location where there is an imminent safety risk, e.g. For example, on a freeway, you can call 999.

What counts as illegal parking?

There are several types of areas where parking is prohibited, some of which are mentioned in the Highway Code.

Rule 240 states that you must not stop or park on:

• The roadway, an emergency area, or the hard shoulder of a highway
• A pedestrian crossing, including the zig zag lines
• A ‘Speedway’ as indicated on signs
• taxi stands
• A road marked with double white lines down the center except for picking up or dropping off goods or passengers
• A tram or cycle path during operating hours
• Red lines or red routes unless specifically permitted by signs

Rule 241 states that if you are not an authorized user, you may not park in reserved spaces for:

• Blue Badge Disabled Users
• local residents
• motorcycles

Rule 243 states that you must not stop or park unless traffic forces you to

• Near a school gate
• Wherever emergency services would prevent access
• At or near bus stops, tram stops or taxi ranks
• Near a railroad crossing or tram crossing
• Opposite or within 10m of an intersection, except within a reasonable range
• Near the top of a hill or a humpback bridge
• Opposite a traffic island
• Opposite a parked vehicle if it would present an obstacle
• Where you would force traffic to enter a tram lane to go around you
• Where the curb has been lowered to accommodate wheelchair users
• In front of the entrance of a property
• In a curve
• Where you would prevent cyclists from using cycle lanes

Parking on the pavement is illegal in London, but elsewhere the Highway Code only discourages it.

There have been calls for sidewalk parking to be banned in the rest of the UK to make sidewalks more accessible for wheelchair users and pushchair users.

Parking on private property is rarely illegal.

On the contrary, it is considered a civil matter.

You can actually be in breach of contract if, for example, you exceed your paid time in a metered parking lot.

But that’s not against the law.

Someone parking on your property may not be acting illegally and neither the council nor the police can help.

Can I be fined for illegal parking?

You can get a fine for illegal parking.

This can be issued by a police officer or parking control officer working for the local authority.

This is unlike a parking ticket issued by a private company, which is not enforceable in the same way.

You have a certain amount of time to pay or appeal the fine.

If your car causes an obstacle, e.g. e.g. if parked in a bus lane during operating hours, the vehicle may be relocated or ‘towed’.

Often this will be a car pound.

There are additional costs for this, both for towing and for each day the car is parked at the truck stop.

Parking anywhere such as zig zag lines is an acceptable offense and you could be penalized with three penalty points on top of the assessed fine.