Report blocked gullies and drains
What is a gully?
Gullies are the square grates found at the side of a road.
We will
- empty gullies on main roads once per year
- aim to clean other gullies once every 3 years
- empty gullies in high risk areas more frequently
High risk areas are generally areas that have been identified as flood risk areas, busy junctions, arterial roads or storm drains.
We aim to clear reported blocked gullies within 21 working days unless the situation is complicated and requires further work.
We will not clean
- main drains – these are the round grates found in the middle of a road and are dealt with by Yorkshire Water
- private drains on private property – these are maintained by property owner
- gullies on unadopted roads will not be cleaned.
Problems with gullies
- Gullies may become blocked with litter
- Materials such as oil, fat or concrete being poured down gullies can cause blockages
- During heavy rainfall the gully system cannot always cope with the amount of water – but this does not mean the gully is blocked. It may take 24 hours for a gully to clear after heavy rain
- Occasionally sewers can leak into gullies. Yorkshire Water is responsible for sewers.
Flooding
- If it’s an emergency and there is danger to life as a result of flooding call 999.
- If a river is flooding: Contact the Environment Agency on 0845 988 1188. The Environment Agency also has a range of information about flood warnings and prevention.
Action days
Sometimes we are unable to clean a street because parked vehicles prevent our gulley wagons from getting to the gullies. If this happens we will carry out a Day of Action, which includes a thorough street sweep and gulley clean. We will tell residents when a Day of Action is going to take place so that they can park somewhere else while we are cleaning.
Report a blocked gully or drain
You can report blocked gullies and drains using the link below which takes you to our My Requests system. You will need to register to do this if you have not used My Requests before.