Streets

Gully cleansing is the term generally used to mean the cleansing of all highway drainage systems. The council, as the highway authority, is responsible for the maintenance of highway drainage systems. This includes:

• cleaning out gully traps and sumps;
• clearing blocked highway drainage pipes using special equipment, including jetting vehicles;
• cleaning out soakaways.

The council's gully cleaning contractor’s duties include the following:

• cleaning out every gully at least once per year;
• cleaning out gullies more often in areas of frequent blocking or flooding;
• carrying out other drainage work, such as maintenance of drainage ditches in rural areas.

Sometimes gullies can still get blocked and if this is causing flooding, please contact the council using the contact information below or the online form.

There is another form to report more general drainage problems.

A sewer pipe that carries water from the highway and water from another source is called a public drain or surface water sewer and is the responsibility of Southern Water (www.southernwater.co.uk).

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