Parking where I live is at a bit of a premium - there is space on the street for those who live here but there are a few people on neighbouring streets either have far too many cars for the house or don't fancy parking on a busy road so always park on my street, meaning sometimes there isn't a free space available.

I live in the end of the terrace and there is a passageway down the side. This technically belongs to the houses of the street that back on to it (at right angles), in small slabs so no one house owns much of it. We all have a right of access across this as it is the only way to the back of our houses.

A number of years back I checked with the council and was told it was Ok to park there if there were no other options but not to leave a car unattended there and to move it ASAP when a space became available.

I came in tonight to find no spaces available so I parked down the side. I was just unloading the car when the neighbour from further down the adjoining street pulled up behind me and started demanding I move as I was blocking his access. He has started recently parking on the wasteland behind his house.

I asked him where I was supposed to park if I did move, at which point he just pulled up behind me, turned the engine off, got out and walked away. He came back after a few minutes to get something from his car but I was unable to engage him in serious discussion, he seemed to be saying that as I was blocking his access he would block me in.

Now, I'm not sure he has the right to park where he does. Beside the house it is metalled but beyond there is is just grass. He has to drive over several other people's land to get to the back of his house and he is making a right mess of the grass doing so. Also, there are drains under this land, not sure if they will have been built to take the weight of a car / van.

I can't argue about the land ownership - it does belong to him. However, does this give a right for him to demand we move from land we also have access over just to he can park there, meaning we then lose the ability to use the land as we would be blocking him in?

Subsequently to that, I now of course can't get my car out.... I don't actually know where he lives - it is one of three houses so the only way to find out is to potentially disturb two other people, and from his attitude - not really giving me much chance to move which I would have done as I need to use the car tonight - I doubt he'd oblige anyway.

Am I stuck, or is he breaking any law where I might be able to get him moved?

Further on, what can and can't each of us do? I often use the passageway to load my car from the back of my house. If I'm doing this and he comes up and blocks me in again, can I do anything? Or am I not allowed to do this as it blocks his access which seems to he his take on it?

He claims the reason he parks at the back is that his (company) van insurance says he parks off-road at night...