Local Residents face potential £1,000 penalties for using their own driveways if they lack proper dropped kerbs, under new council rules.

Labour-run Southampton City Council has started enforcing decades-old highway legislation for the first time.

The local authority has issued warning letters to homeowners who drive across standard kerbs to access their properties, citing the Highways Act 1980.

This unprecedented enforcement action marks a significant shift in council policy, with officials now actively pursuing residents who have been parking on their driveways without formal kerb modifications.

The move affects numerous households across the city, including vulnerable residents who have used their driveways without issue for decades.

The cash-strapped council, which sought emergency Government assistance due to a £39million budget deficit for 2024-25, has begun sending enforcement notices to property owners.

Recipients are being told their vehicle access across kerbed pavements constitutes unlawful activity that could damage public highways.

The correspondence instructs residents to seek council authorisation for dropped kerb installation, a process requiring a £165 application fee plus construction costs of at least £600.

Drivers could soon be fined for parking on their own driveways

"During a recent highway inspection, it has come to the highway authority's attention that the occupier of this property is gaining vehicle access to the property by unlawfully crossing the kerbed footway," one letter states.

A disabled pensioner who has used her driveway for four decades received one such notice, leaving her deeply distressed about the threatened penalty, The Telegraph reported.

The elderly woman, who resides in a council property, has now instructed her carers to avoid parking on her drive, severely restricting her mobility.

Commenting on the situation, Conservative councillor for Harefield, Peter Baillie, said: "She was terrified.

The little-known Highway Code parking rule could catch many drivers out

"She's told her carers not to park on the drive, but that means she can't get out to do her shopping or anything because she can't walk."

The woman's situation highlights the impact on vulnerable residents who depend on convenient vehicle access for essential daily activities.

The enforcement strategy has sparked political debate, with councillor Baillie condemning the approach as "unnecessarily heavy-handed" and lacking logic.

Labour cabinet member for transport Christie Lambert defended the local authorities' position during a recent council meeting.

"You can't have a go at us for not enforcing things and then have a go at us for enforcing things. It is our right to enforce the legislation."

The council said: "Under section 184 of the Highways Act 1980, subsection 17, the Highway Authority have the power to serve notice to anyone illegally using a mechanically propelled vehicle to cross a footway to gain access to a premise.

"This is because the footways are not generally constructed to hold the weight of vehicle traffic, which is why this offence can be enforceable with a fine to deter offenders and compensate highway authorities for repairing the footways, where there is evidence of damage occurring.

"This is not a new process for Southampton."