Britons to face prosecution and harsher fines for breaking Highway Code pavements rules

Under rule 145 of the Highway Code, motorists must not drive on or over a pavement, footpath or bridleway except to gain lawful access to property or in the case of an emergency.

If caught out, drivers can be issued a fine ranging between £50 to £130, but it could be more depending on the circumstances.

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Posting on X, Bailiwick Law Enforcement warned drivers in Guernsey about the fines for using pavements.

The force said: "We'd like to take this opportunity to remind motorists to ensure that if they do need to mount the pavement while driving to pass an obstruction, they must do so incredibly slowly and dismount as soon as they can.

"It is entirely unacceptable to drive at anything but a crawl along a pavement: it puts pedestrians at risk and makes exiting driveways and lanes dangerous.

"If you're caught cruising down the entire length of a pavement, we can and will consider prosecution."

Nicholas Lyes from the RAC said there has been widespread concern among drivers about other road users blocking pavements.

He explained: "In a number of cases, drivers may be forced to park up a kerb so they are not restricting or blocking traffic flow on narrower roads.

"If the Government does look into this, it should be clear that pavement parking is only acceptable where drivers need to do it so as not to block traffic flow on the road nor pavement access for vulnerable users and pedestrians. This is all about getting the right balance."

Rules on pavement parking are only in place across London and Scotland, with local authorities being granted enforcement powers to deal with people leaving their cars on pavements.

But as Labour takes over from the Conservatives, the new Transport Secretary Louise Haigh could look to introduce pavement parking measures on a national level.

Haigh, who represents Sheffield Heeley, had previously detailed how more needed to be done to protect "vulnerable people from having to deal with people parking on the pavement".

The post, written in 2018, highlighted how partially sighted people are affected the most by cars on the pavement as well as the elderly, wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs.

She shared: "Current laws on pavement parking are often costly for councils who are having to repair damaged pavements but are extremely dangerous for vulnerable road users."

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Parking rules recently changed in Scotland to ban drivers from having vehicles on pavements.

Under the restrictions, drivers are now at risk of a £100 fine for parking on the pavement, at dropped kerbs or double parking.