How to report a blocked gully drain

A highway gully drain is designed to collect surface water runoff from roads, pavements, and highways. It consists of a metal grating (or grid) on top of a deep, sunken pot or chamber that sits in the gutter of a road.

Oxfordshire County Council is the highways authority for Oxfordshire, including the city of Oxford. The county council is responsible for maintaining public roads and paths across the county, including blocked gully drains.

Emergency contacts

Thames Water:

• Telephone: 0800 316 9800
• Report a problem with a blocked drain
• Incident guide
• Accessible contact options

Oxfordshire County Council:

• Telephone: 0345 310 1111
• Oxfordshire Flood Toolkit

Responsibility for gully drains in Oxford

Blocked gullies on main roads

Oxfordshire County Council inspects and cleans blocked gullies on classified roads (main/trunk roads).

For more information and how to report non-emergency issues on main roads, see Flooding at oxfordshire.gov.uk

Blocked gullies on minor roads

Oxford City Council inspects and cleans blocked gullies on unclassified minor roads (such as side streets and estate roads), on behalf of the County Council.

We clean these annually. When we receive a blocked gully report we inspect it within 5 days. We aim to clean it within 28 days but in some cases further investigation is needed.

Private drains and sewers

For sewers serving more than one property contact Contact Thames Water

If the issue is with a private drain, you should speak to the property owner. Find general information about blockages at the Thames Water website: Blockages and blocked drains

How to report a non-emergency