Neighbour’s charging cable across the pavement, caravan outside or blocked driveway: what you can do

A charging cable running from a front door across the pavement to an electric car, a caravan that simply stays outside your window after the holidays, or a car parked right across your driveway: small things in the public space that can feel big on your side. You step over a cable with the pushchair, your front room is noticeably darker or you can’t get out in the morning. In this article you’ll read why your neighbours often don’t notice, what you can ask for and how to raise it calmly.

Why it feels different on your side

For your neighbours the cable is a practical solution: charging at home is cheaper than at a public charge point. The caravan is outside ‘just for a bit’, until it has been three weeks. And whoever parked across your driveway usually thought there was still room. Nobody does it to annoy you. Yet you notice the effects:

• Trip hazard. A loose cable without a cover is awkward for anyone with poor sight, a walking frame or a pushchair. Some people step into the road to avoid it.

• Less view and light. A caravan or motorhome three metres high outside your window takes daylight away and fills the street.

• Not getting out. A car partly across your dropped kerb means looking for the owner or waiting.

Raise it kindly

Start from the assumption that your neighbours don’t know what it means for you. Describe what you see and what the effect is, and ask for something realistic. For example:

"I noticed your charging cable lies across the pavement in the evenings. My mother goes into the road with her walking frame to get past, and that worries me. Could you use a cable protector and take the cable in once charging is done?"

Never unplug a charging cable yourself, and never move or block a car.

What can you ask for and agree?

• For a charging cable. A cable protector or a pavement cable channel, the cable kept tight along the kerb, charging at times when few people walk past and taking the cable in as soon as charging ends.

• For a caravan or motorhome. An agreement on how long it stays outside, for example a few days before and after a trip, and then storage or a spot further along that is less in the way.

• For a blocked driveway. Agreeing that visitors keep the driveway clear, and where they can park instead. Sometimes a clear marking or a ‘keep clear’ sign helps.

What do the rules say?

In England and Wales, a trailing cable across the pavement may breach the Highways Act 1980, as government guidance on cross-pavement charging points out, and the person who lays it may be liable if someone trips. Councils can allow cable channels set into the pavement; permission rests with the local highway authority. Parking a caravan or trailer on the road is not banned as such, but a trailer left on a road at night must be lit (Highway Code rule 250), it must not cause an obstruction, and some councils have local restrictions. The Highway Code also says not to park in front of an entrance to a property (rule 243), and where civil parking enforcement applies, councils can issue a penalty for parking across a dropped kerb, often at the resident’s request. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Keep track of what you see

Note the date, time and how long it lasted, exactly where it was and what the effect on you was. Take photos from the public road or your own property, and keep a registration number in your own log only, not on social media. Also note the times when things went well.

In practice

Government guidance published for councils describes how residents without a driveway can charge at home without a trailing cable: a cable channel set into the pavement, sometimes called a gully, holds the cable while the car charges and the cable is removed afterwards. The decision rests with the local authority, and residents with permission for such a solution can claim a grant towards the chargepoint of up to £350 or 75 per cent of the installation cost (source: GOV.UK).

If you can’t sort it out together

• Send a second, clear letter. Refer to your earlier conversation and mention a few examples from your log.

• Report it to the council. It is responsible for the pavement and the public road, for cross-pavement charging and for vehicles left too long.

• Blocked driveway? Contact the council’s parking enforcement, or the police on 101 if you cannot get out. In an emergency, call 999.

• Try community mediation. A neutral mediator helps you reach an agreement together.

Help with the first message

The CalmNotes pack on charging cables, caravans and blocked driveways gives you editable sample messages to raise this calmly, with a reminder and a third message if nothing changes, guidance on the rules and a log to keep track of what you see. More tips on the page charging cable, caravan and driveway.

Choose a suitable next step

Free incident diary — Record incidents, contact and agreements.

Prepare your records and request for help — Organise your information and prepare a request for help.

Find support — Find out who may be able to help with your situation.