Blocked drains

We maintain over 14,000 roadside surface water drains (also called gullies) which allow rain water to run away freely from the road and highway.

Roadside surface water drains are normally found in the kerbside channel or highway gutters.

If a roadside drain becomes blocked, it could cause local flooding in that road. We clean the roadside drains regularly to prevent them from being blocked.  All roadside drains are scheduled to be cleaned out once every two years as a minimum. High risk drains, identified as prone to flooding, are cleaned out once every year as a minimum.

Flooding after heavy rainfall

• After heavy rainfall some drains can become overwhelmed and drain slowly, this can cause flooding in some areas.
• If this is the case then please wait for a few hours after the rain has stopped before reporting this to us.

Report a blocked roadside drain 

If you notice that roadside drain has become blocked by leaves or rubbish and the blockage can be easily removed, without putting yourself or others at risk, then it may be quickest to push the blockage to one side yourself.

Make a report using the map

If you see a blocked drain, you can report it by using the map below. 

You can:

1. use the search bar on the map to search for a location, address or street
2. click on the map to place a pin
3. proceed to fill in the short form

Or make a report using the form

If you have accessibility requirements or difficulties using the map you can make a report using the form. Note that the form will be reviewed manually and may take longer to action.

Report a blocked drain

If you think this is an emergency then please call us on 0208 547 5000. 

What we do

• When tackling a blocked drain we first try digging out the blockage or using water jets to release the blockage.
•  If this is not possible because the grating is broken, there is a tree root in the way or the pipe is broken - we will refer the matter to the relevant agency, eg highway maintenance, Thames Water or a specialist outside contractor for further works.