Mystery driver's furious 'Grinch' letter to neighbours in parking row
A local "grinch" has angered a car owner on a housing estate after a row over parking on a grass verge saw them posting a threatening letter to everyone on their street.
Wayne Whitehead and his wife Lorna Hallsworth-Whitehead were shocked when they found the "aggressive" note pushed through their letterbox in their Glossop home on 13 December.
It began when a neighbour put a note on a car parked on the verge politely asking the driver to "please kindly refrain from parking on the grass verge" as it would make it look "unsightly". However, the car owner photocopied this note and added their own furious reply that they then posted to the entire row of neighbours.
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It demanded the culprit "never put something on their new car as it is private property" before declaring they can "park where they want" as they pay their road tax. It warned they would "double park so you can't get out" next time, before signing off the angry note "Merry Christmas you Grinch!" But as the recipient of the initial letter didn't know who posted the request on the car, they sent it to the entire street including to Whitehead and his wife.
Whitehead, 43, said the unpleasant letter made him and his 38-year-old data analyst wife Lorna chuckle but that others living nearby, including those with dementia, found it upsetting and confusing. He said: "My wife had just got home from work and she said 'oh we've just had this through the door'."
Whitehead said they were not involved in the row but they suspected who had put the original message on the car. He said they had a neighbour who keeps their garden "all prim and proper" and was annoyed when cars parked on verges, which Whitehead said was "quite rightly, it damages them."
The estate opposite Wayne's road has been having resurfacing work, so many cars are choosing to park on the road instead. While he found the letter funny, others in the area were distressed by it.
Whitehead said: "For me, it's just a laugh. It made me chuckle, especially the 'Merry Christmas you Grinch', but some other neighbours have been upset by it. Another said it confused and upset their relative on the road who struggles with dementia.
"It's not threatening but it's a little bit aggressive, saying 'if it is you, I'm going to double park and block you in."
The note in full
The original note, written in capitals and left on the car, read: "Would you please kindly refrain from parking on the grass verge, as it will rut the surface and make it look unsightly. Thank you."
The car owner photocopied this note and added a reply that they then posted to the entire row of neighbours: "If this was you, first and foremost do not ever put something on my new car as it is private property.
"Secondly, I pay road tax and can park where I want!
"And finally, we have nowhere to park due to road works in the village as they have dug the whole pavement up and I will not park a "white" car to get splashes of concrete on it, which you can not get!
"It's not your grass, next time I will double park so you can't get out. Merry Christmas you Grinch!"
