- Is this the council's job?
- Yes, and it stays their job. Councils must keep road drainage working. This is in addition to that, never instead of it. Nothing you save here reduces what the council owes you.
- Am I insured?
- Keeping an eye on it means you never touch the drain. Keeping it clear is ordinary pavement sweeping, done from the pavement outside your own home. Insurance is a personal matter, so if it concerns you, check your own cover before you start. Lifting a grating is only done by trained groups with their own cover and a signed agreement with the council.
- What if I get hurt?
- Stop. Nothing here is worth an injury. Stand on the pavement, wear gloves, use a long-handled brush, and go home if the traffic feels wrong. If it needs a hi-vis and a cone, it is not your job.
- What do I need?
- Gloves, a long-handled brush or a stiff yard broom, and a bag for what you sweep up. Nothing else. If a job would need a hi-vis and a cone, it is not your job.
- Can I lift the grating?
- No. Gratings are heavy, often stuck fast, and the hole below can be deep. Lifting one is a job for a trained group with the right kit.
- Where do the leaves go?
- Your own bin, or a garden waste bin if you have one. Never brush rubbish into the road, onto a verge, or into another drain.
- Does logging a check report it to the council?
- Only when you choose to. A check is just a record. When a drain needs the council, we pass it to their own reporting page or to FixMyStreet, and keep the reference here.
- My council is not listed.
- Ask us to open your area. People can still add drains and save what they see before a council takes part.
- Who can see what I log?
- Checks and conditions are public, because the point is a shared record of a street. Your email address is not, and we only ever store the first half of a postcode.
