PRESS ASSOCIATION -- Many Britons who regard their home as their castle are also pretty proprietorial about the parking spot outside their house, according to a poll.
As many as 44% believe they "own" the nearest public parking space to their home, found the survey by insurance company Churchill.
Around 18% have felt distressed when a stranger has parked in front of their property.
A hard-line 5% have used their own car, traffic cones or road signs to block the space in front of their home to stop others parking there.
A further 2% have put up notices banning motorists from parking near their home, while more than 4% of the 2,028 adults polled had had an argument with a neighbour over parking in the last year.
The survey also showed that 18% had been prevented from entering their property in the last year as someone had parked across their drive.
A total of 3% had even got home to find a motorist had parked on their garden or driveway.
Those most insistent on laying claim to the public parking spot outside their home were residents of north-east and north-west England, while Scottish homeowners were the most relaxed about anyone parking in the vicinity of their property.
Churchill Car Insurance head Tony Chilcott said: "Parking issues can lead to heated arguments, but people need to be tolerant of drivers that are parking entirely legally, even if it is directly outside their property."