Highway emergencies

Chemicals on the highway

Any information on what the chemical is (from Hazchem plate on vehicle (toxic, corrosive, flammable)?
Quantity of material involved?
Drip or flowing?
Is it close to a river/stream/ditch?
Name of the haulier (on the lorry)?

Clinical waste on the highway

Any information on type of waste - syringes/tablets/liquids?
Are hypodermic needles visible?
Any information on what the waste is (from labels)?

Dangerous structures next to the highway e.g. walls, buildings, advertising hoardings

Refer to district council.

Dead animals on the highway

Large animals e.g. badgers, deer, dogs, otters - refer to district council

Debris on the highway - significant amount of debris which is likely to cause a danger to road users

What is material spilt?
Amount involved?
Any details of who caused the spillage?
If it is likely to cause danger to the travelling public, then refer to SCC; if not, then refer to district council

Drainage and Flooding on the highway

The following problems should not be reported to Suffolk County Council:

Main drains or foul sewer - Anglian Water
Property flooding - District Councils
Rivers that rise and flood - Environment Agency. The FLOODLINE Service can be contacted on 0845 988 1188.
All problems on private land (e.g. car parks) should be reported to the landowner

For other emergencies on the highway, please let us know:
Is it causing danger to the travelling public?
Is it on a public road or footway? - If not, then contact landowner
Is it coming up from a drainage system in the road (gully/manhole)? – If not it is the responsibility of the owner of the drainage system
Depth of flooding?
Is the road passable?
Is property threatened?
Does it contain sewage - if yes, refer to Anglian Water

Manhole/grating covers in the highway (any cover missing, broken or collapsed)

Is the cover in the highway? (if it is on private/district council land, then you need to contact the owner of the property, not SCC)
Is it broken or missing?

Many covers belong to private companies or district councils but most do have markings on them: (eg BT refer to British Telecom, AW refer to Anglian Water)

Mud on the highway

Length of road affected by mud on the road
Location of mud on the road (eg across the whole road, one lane only)
Any details of who deposited the mud?

SCC will deal with if there is a serious danger to the travelling public, but the person who deposited the mud is really responsible for cleaning the road.

Oil/diesel spillage on the highway

Length of road affected by spillage
Location of spillage (eg across the whole road, one lane only)
Is it close to a river/stream/ditch?

Overhead cables fallen across the highway

Will almost certainly require a road closure and associated diversion.

Are the cables electricity or telephone wires?

Potholes in the highway

On A class and busy main roads - If hole exceeds 1 foot x 1 foot x 2" deep
On other roads – if hole exceeds 2 feet x 2 feet x 2" deep:
Size of hole (including depth)
Road type eg A or other busy roads; or minor road
Location in the road

Safety fences, guardrails and barriers on or adjacent to the highway(including broken or sharp edges protruding into the road or pavement)

Damaged safety fences on A class roads and leading up to bridges should be reported as emergencies.

In most cases fencing is owned by adjacent property owner and should not be reported to SCC unless damage blocks the highway.

Sewage in the highway

Refer to Anglian Water.

Street lights including zebra crossings, lit bollards, school crossings and lit signs

Examples of emergency faults include:

• damaged bollards
• damaged column (please let us have any information you have on who/what has damaged the column)
• damaged lamp
• multiple lights
• illuminated school crossings
• vehicle accident
• zebra crossings

Streetlights owned by Suffolk County Council have a plastic plate showing the number of the column and a freephone number to call to report the fault. Please supply the following details:

• the number on the lamp post
• the road name
• the town or parish

If you do not know the lamp post number, please give some other means of locating the light, such as a nearby house number. Please try to give as much information as possible about the fault, for example, is the light not working at all? Is it an intermittent fault? Is the light staying on during the day?

Traffic accident

Serious traffic accidents should be reported to the Police.

Trees (fallen branches/tree on the highway

Size of branch/tree
Does it present an immediate danger to the public?
Are power/telephone cables involved?
Is the road/path blocked?
If yes, is there an alternative route available?
Any details of land owner?

Winter maintenance (gritting/snow clearing)

Gritting is carried out in priority order according to road classification eg A roads first. Very rarely will exceptions be made eg if a water leak has caused a very icy patch.