Highway Gullies and Drains
Highway gullies and drains are the drains that have been installed along the edge of the road that remove excess surface water off the road.
Responsibility for keeping these in working order is generally divided into three groups in the Arun District, as listed below. If you are concerned that a highway gully or drain is blocked, please contact the responsible persons / authority:
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West Sussex County Council: Responsible for all public highway drains across the district on public roads, not classified as motorway or trunk roads (the A27) or private estates. To report flooding on a WSCC highway you can contact them directly on 01243 777100 or you can use the West Sussex County Council Highway Report Form on the WSCC Website.
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Highways Agency: Responsible for all public highway drains on Motorways and trunk roads (ie. the A27). To report flooding on a Motorway or trunk road contact the Highways Agency.
- Landowners and estate residents or associations: Responsible for all private estate road drains.
A highway gully
It is worth noting that not all highways have gullies present. A lot of highways rely on surface water draining into adjacent ditches or verges. If there are ditches alongside the highway, no gullies present and regular flooding problems, it may be a result of the roadside 'grips' becoming blocked. Grips are cuts in the verge between the highway and the ditch, which allow water to flow into the ditch. They may only be the width of a spade and often become blocked with debris and where vehicles have driven onto the soft verge and cut off the grips. Again, maintenance of these falls to the persons / authorities above and any concerns should be addressed to these parties.
A highway grip