Roads - flooding, drains and gullies

The Council is responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of surface water gullies, soakaways, dumbwells, ditches and culverts in the borough.

You may also tell us about any flooding incidents using the report form on the right hand menu.

Gullies

Gullies collect surface water from the public highway which is stored in gully pots, these drain away to main sewer networks. Where there is no main sewer network, gullies are connected by highway drains to soakaways, dumbwells or surface water ditches.

There are approximately 21,610 gullies in the borough which are divided into six categories:

Cyclical (borough roads), which are cleaned twice a year

Inland footpaths, which are cleaned twice a year

Dual carriageways (Bronze Age Way, North Cray Road, Northend Road and Eastern Way), which are cleaned once a year under lane closure conditions.

Subways, which are cleaned once a year

Car parks, which are cleaned once a year

Cemeteries, which are cleaned once a year

Dumbwells

Dumbwells are sealed chambers which hold surface water discharged from highway gullies. There are 296 dumbwells in the borough which are emptied and cleaned three times a year.

Soakaways

Soakaways are chambers which also hold surface water from gullies and allow it to percolate through the soil naturally depending on the level of the water table. There are 354 soakaways in the borough which are cleaned once on a three year cycle.

Ditches

There are 32 ditches, 9000 linear metres in total, which are maintained twice a year. This involves clearing all the litter, vegetation and debris enabling free passage of water.

Culverts

There are 16 culverts in the borough and these are cleaned weekly. These are positioned intermittently along surface water ditches to trap storm related debris. These openings are kept clear of debris enabling a constant passage of water to minimise highway flooding.

If you require any further information regarding any of these services please contact Works Direct using the contact information provided in the right hand menu.