Reporting Street Hazards
Accidents, wear and tear, damage or vandalism can cause hazards on roads and pavements which can result in personal injury to pedestrians, road users or possible damage to property. There are a variety of potential hazards, including:
- gully or drain cover missing
- railings or fencing protruding into the pavement or road
- concrete bollard knocked over onto the pavement or road
- bridge parapets damaged
- oil spillages on the road
- lamp columns knocked down, wires exposed or lanterns hanging loose
- traffic signals lights not working or traffic light head broken or hanging loose
You can report hazards by contacting us or by completing the report a street defect form, see top right of this page.
The report will be assessed as either an emergency or routine work based on the type of damage.
We require as much of the following information as possible to respond to your report:
- street name and area
- location on street, give the nearest house number or road junction
- description and detail of the damage
- your name and a contact number
- date and approximate time of damage
- persons or vehicle registration responsible for damage (if known)
- if the police were in attendance
For emergency work we aim to make a hazard safe within two hours. The damage is then assessed by a technician and an order issued for repairs as either reactive work within 8 weeks or planned work within six months, depending on the extent and location of the damage.
When a report of a hazard or damage is received the person taking the report will attempt to identify ownership and establish who is responsible for the property or street furniture from the details provided.
If the damage is clearly not the responsibility of the Council, then ownership details can be established and we will contact the respective statutory undertaker or owner who is responsible. A request will be made that they attend and make the hazard safe within a set timescale. If they are unable to meet this timescale then the Council will make the hazard safe and recover the costs.
If the responsibility cannot be established and the damage or hazard requires making safe, the Council will carry out the work within 2 hours and attempt to recover the costs from the property owner.
The following are not the responsibility of the Council:
- inspection covers in the pavement or road for example; stop taps, fire hydrants, manholes and valve boxes.
- walls built for non-highway purposes
- cellar covers
- British Telecom or Cable cabinets
Page updated: 21 Aug 2008