Parking on pavements and verges

It is an offence to drive on a pavement, other than across a dropped kerb access.

It is an offence to park a vehicle on a pavement if:

• there are waiting restrictions (yellow lines) on the road, as these also apply to the pavement; or
• the vehicle weighs in excess of 7.5 tonne; or
• there is a signed restriction that prohibits parking on the pavement.

To report a vehicle parking on a pavement where there are waiting restrictions in place, please contact the relevant council, details as below:

East Suffolk, Ipswich Borough and West Suffolk Councils are responsible for enforcement in their own areas. Enforcement in Babergh and Mid Suffolk are managed by Ipswich Borough and West Suffolk Council. The enforcement areas can be seen on Suffolk County Council's parking enforcement map.

More information can be found on the below links:

• East Suffolk Council
• Ipswich Borough Council
• West Suffolk Council

Vehicles parked on a pavement may cause an obstruction and force pedestrians into the carriageway. If there are no waiting restrictions the police may act where they consider that a parked vehicle is causing an obstruction, forcing pedestrians to enter the carriageway. The police are unlikely to act if there is a minimum of 1.2metres of clear pavement for pedestrians. The police can be contacted through Suffolk Police.

It is not an offence to park a vehicle on a grass verge unless:

• there are waiting restrictions (yellow lines) on the road, as these also apply to the verge; or
• the vehicle weighs in excess of 7.5 tonne; or
• it is specifically signed that parking on the verge is prohibited.

If you would like to report a vehicle parking on a grass verge where there are waiting restrictions in place, please contact the relevant council, details as below:

East Suffolk, Ipswich Borough and West Suffolk Councils are responsible for enforcement in their own areas. Enforcement in Babergh and Mid Suffolk are managed by Ipswich Borough and West Suffolk Council. The enforcement areas can be seen on Suffolk County Council's parking enforcement map.

More information can be found on the below links:

• East Suffolk Council
• Ipswich Borough Council
• West Suffolk Council

Unless there is a significant safety concern, we no longer install bollards or other planting schemes for the sole purpose of preventing verge parking because of the initial cost of such provision and the ongoing maintenance costs.

You can report extensive damage to highway verges resulting in a considerable level difference between the footway edge and the verge which you think is a significant safety issue by using our Highways Reporting Tool.