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Roads: Sewers

Asked by James McMurdockIndependentDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 10 March 2026UIN 118483

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to introduce minimum national standards for highway drainage maintenance.

Answered by Simon Lightwood

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. It is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.

Although the Government does not currently assess the adequacy of drainage maintenance practice in each authority, it does encourage authorities to maintain their drainage assets through guidance.

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