Cars parked on the pavement can be a royal nuisance, but what are the rules? Here is a guide to what's allowed.

In London it is mostly illegal to park on pavements, but not across the rest of the UK.

That could change as the Department of Transport is considering bringing the rest of the country in line with the capital.

New rules could land drivers a £70 fine if they are found parked up on any pavement, but what are the current laws?

Since 1974, Highway Code rule 244 has stated that drivers "Must not park partially or wholly on the pavement in London and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it."

So across the rest of the UK the rule is that drivers 'should' not park on the pavement, meaning it is advisory and not, therefore, backed up by any legislation.

The issue is parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs.

And outside of London things get a little less clear with rule 242 stating: "You must not leave your vehicle or trailer in a dangerous position or where it causes any unnecessary obstruction of the road."

If your car is reported to police and judged to be a nuisance you could receive a fixed penalty notice.

In 2015 a private members’ bill to make pavement parking illegal was introduced to parliament, but it didn’t make it past the second reading as concerns were raised for people in narrow streets.

Transport minister Jesse Norman has now announced there is likely to be another review into the rules this year.

He said: “The department [DfT] is now undertaking a broader piece of work to gather evidence on the issue of pavement parking. We expect to be able to draw conclusions later this year.”

It could be the rest of the country follows a similar system to London, with the Greater London Council (General Powers) Act stating motorists cannot park on urban roads with their car’s wheels on pavements, grass verges or any land between carriageways.

There can be exemptions in certain areas, such as very narrow roads, but these will be clearly signposted or feature white road markings to designate the areas.

Nicholas Lyes from the RAC said: “There is widespread concern among drivers about other drivers blocking pavements in their neighbourhood, but generally people are split on how to deal with it.

“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 not to block traffic flow on the road nor pavement access for vulnerable users and pedestrians. This is all about getting the right balance.”