Opinions were divided when a woman refused to stop parking in front of her neighbour's driveway because it has unlawful access - but what are the rules?

Her neighbour turned their front lawn into a driveway a year ago but failed to install a designated dropped kerb, meaning the conversion does not comply with the law.

So are people really not entitled to driveway rights without an official dropped kerb?

A dropped kerb, or vehicle crossover, is a section of pavement that has been dropped to the level of the road to allow "vehicles to cross the pavement from the road to a driveway", according to the government.

Gloucestershire Council explained it is the "legal means to allow you to access your property safely using a car" and prior permission to install one must be sought from the council.

The authority's planning application portal states "unauthorised vehicle crossovers will cause the footway to deteriorate and put those using the footway at risk".

Is it legal to have a driveway without a dropped kerb?

The simple answer is yes but you cannot legally use it to drive your car in and out.

In effect, it is a parking space in your garden with no official access from the road.

Under the act, if you keep driving over the pavement outside your house to access your property, the council can intervene and either install a proper dropped kerb or put rules in place about how you use it.

Though Bristol City Council declined to comment on Cooper's specific case, it did confirm that a dropped kerb was required for legal access across the highway.

BBC News has found no record of a planning application relating to the conversion.

Do you still have driveway rights without a dropped kerb?

But with no dropped kerb, there is very limited legal protection.

While the Highway Code does advise drivers to avoid "stopping in front of property entrances or driveways" the rule is just advisory.

However, the police can step in if a vehicle is "causing an obstruction or hazard".

Is it illegal to park on the pavement?

Pavement parking is currently banned outright in London and Scotland.

In Somerset, the authority said it was not illegal "unless there is an adjacent parking restriction" while Wiltshire Council said it was illegal to park on a pavement.

In 2024 Bristol City Council set up a task force to look at the issue of pavement parking across the city.

The new powers are due to take effect later this year alongside guidance on how the rules can be enforced in a "proportionate" way.