A pensioner says the council has told him he can't park on his driveway - despite that he's done so for two decades.

Bob Howes, 73, a retired civil servant of 30 years, has said it’s “embarrassing” that he’s not allowed to park on his own driveway outside him home on Cracknore Road.

Instead, he faces a £30 a year bill for a parking permit, as he lives in an area which is a controlled parking zone.

Bob and his wife Dawn have lived in their Freemantle home since 1984 and received a letter from the council last year, stating they were not authorised to park on their drive due to not having a dropped kerb.

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Motorists are at risk of being fined in the city if a driveway is accessed by driving across a pavement or verge without a dropped kerb, with residents previously warned of the prospect of fines from Balfour Beatty.

“It’s a little bit embarrassing for us,” said Bob.

“To us, we have off-road parking, and we’ve had to explain to neighbours why we’re no longer parking there.

“I’d been parking on the drive for at least 20 years. Now we pay £30 a year for a parking permit and have a space on the other side of the road, as it does get busy around here.”

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Bob applied to the council for a dropped kerb outside his home – paying the application fee of £160 – but was refused permission, due to his frontage being 4.3m long, narrowly falling short of the council’s required 4.8m space to park a vehicle on the drive.

This is despite his Hyundai i10 being around only 3.6m long.

Bob said: “I’m willing to pay to have the work done, it would be in the region of £3,000.

“For the council to collate that type of sum from me at the current £30 a year rate, it would take decades before they receive £3,000.”

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In a statement, Cllr Eamonn Keogh, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “The requirements for a vehicle crossover, or dropped kerb as they are more often known as, are available to view on our website.

“If the front or back of the vehicle faces the road, there is a minimum required space of 4.8m depth by 2.4m width within the property concerned.

“This is enough to accommodate the average estate car at 4.7m long, and the overall average car length of 4.4m.

“The minimum space requirements ensure that we meet our duty, as the Highway Authority, to ensure that all users of the highway can use the footway.

“Vehicles overhanging the footway, even by a small amount, can make passing difficult for some users such as parents with buggies or people with a mobility aid.

“The minimum size requirements of off-road parking spaces for vehicle crossovers have changed over time, and so there will be properties in Southampton that have had their vehicle crossovers approved in the past with different requirements, however new applications must meet the current criteria which is available to view on our website.”