About blocked grids and drains
We’re responsible for the drainage of adopted roads in the borough. Surface water that falls onto the roads and pavements drains into a system of road grids that eventually go into United Utilities systems or directly into rivers or other watercourses.
All grids and drains across the borough are routinely cleaned. We clean the grids and drains on a priority basis. This is based on many factors but includes low lying areas that are prone to flooding and roads that collect more silt and debris.
Repair
We also carry out a scheduled programme of repair to the road drainage system to deal with any defects that are identified. These repair works are also carried out on a priority basis.
Heavy rain or flash flooding
During periods of heavy rain it’s to be expected that there may be standing water or temporary flooding on the road. Flooding across larger areas and roads may be because the amount of rainfall is too much for systems to store and drain well. This is because they're full, not blocked. You should not report this as it will usually clear in time.
If your property has been flooded we’ll carry out follow-up investigations. For more information you can visit our flooding web pages.
Leaves
We have a leaf clearing programme scheduled between October and January. We'll move leaves away from grid and drain covers to make sure surface water can flow into the drainage system and clear standing water.
If there's leaves around the grate on the drain you can clear these away but you should not push the leaves into the drain.
Report a blocked grid or drain
You can use our online form to report a blocked grid or drain if it is causing a significant inconvenience or a safety issue. We'll then decide whether it needs an additional clean outside of our scheduled programme.
Before you report a problem, you must check when your area is due for a routine clean on the following pages.