For the roads we are responsible for, we carry out regular safety inspections to find and repair serious problems. We also rely on members of the public to report issues to us.
You can report a new highways problem fast or see updates on existing problems using our online reporting system.
The information below details how significant a problem needs to be for us to action a repair and when the repair will happen for potholes, manhole and drainage covers, flooding, drainage, traffic signals, road markings and vegetation / tree problems. This is often dependent on the road type.
It is not possible for works to be carried out everywhere at the same time. Our road hierarchy is based on the importance, location and actual usage of each road, not its classification as an A, B, C or unclassified road. We give greater priority to the roads that have the most traffic and where there is a greater chance of a defect causing a problem.
| Road type | Road summary | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Motorway | Limited access | Routes for fast moving, long distance traffic. Traffic is separated and restrictions on use are in place. |
| Strategic Route | Trunk roads and some Principal 'A' roads between primary urban areas | Routes for fast moving, long distance traffic with little frontage access or pedestrian traffic. Speed limits are usually in excess of 40mph and there are few junctions. Pedestrian crossings are either segregated or controlled and parked vehicles are generally prohibited. |
| Main Distributor | Major urban network roads for short and medium distance traffic | Routes linking Strategic Routes with urban centres. Limited frontage access. In urban areas, speed limits are usually 40mph or less, parking is restricted at peak times and there are measures for pedestrians. |
| Secondary Distributor | Includes B and C class roads and unclassified urban bus routes. Carries local traffic with frontage access and frequent junctions | In rural areas, these roads link the larger villages and Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) to the Strategic and Main Distributor roads. In built up areas, these roads have 30mph speed limits and very high levels of pedestrian activity with some crossing facilities including zebra crossings. On-street parking is generally unrestricted except for safety reasons. |
| Link Road | Roads linking between the Main and Secondary Distributor roads. Features a lot of frontage access and frequent junctions. | In rural areas, these roads link the smaller villages to the distributor roads. They are of varying width and not always capable of carrying two way traffic. In urban areas, they are residential or industrial inter-connecting roads with 30mph speed limits, random pedestrian movements and uncontrolled parking. |
| Local Access Road | Roads serving limited number of properties carrying only access traffic. | In rural areas, these roads serve small settlements and provide access to individual properties and land. They are often only single lane width and unsuitable for HGVs in urban areas. They are often residential loop roads or cul-de-sacs. |
| Minor Roads | Little used roads serving five properties or less. | Locally defined roads serving few properties with low volumes of traffic. |
| Soft Roads (Green Lanes) | Unmade unclassified | Exclusively in rural areas carrying mainly agricultural vehicles and pedestrians. |
Potholes
A pothole is a hole in the road that is deeper than 40mm and wider than 75mm in any horizontal direction. They are usually formed during the winter months as a direct result of snow, ice and prolonged periods of rain. Take a look at our pothole video series.
When will a pothole be fixed?
When a pothole is reported to us, we will first inspect to risk assess it. At inspection, we will mark the pothole with paint. Yellow paint indicates it will be fixed within 21 days. White paint indicates it will be fixed within 13 weeks.
We will prioritise repairing potholes that we deem to be a danger to the public. This could be due to the pothole's position on the road or the possibility that it may create a hazard. If the pothole is large but not deemed to be a significant risk to the public, we will action a repair at a later date.
When we repair a pothole, sometimes we will first make it safe with a temporary fix so we can permanently repair it as part of our other programmed works. Smaller potholes which are not yet sufficient to merit repair action will be monitored as part of our routine inspections.
Categories of potholes and our response times
For potholes on Strategic and Main Distributor road types:
| Pothole description | Response time |
|---|---|
| Greater than 40mm in depth and a significant risk to public safety | 5 days |
| Greater than 40mm in depth but less of a risk to public safety | 21 days |
| 20mm to 40mm in depth | 13 weeks |
For potholes on Secondary Distributor road type:
| Pothole description | Response time |
|---|---|
| Greater than 50mm in depth and a significant risk to public safety | 5 days |
| Greater than 50mm in depth but less of a risk to public safety | 21 days |
| 40mm to 50mm in depth | 13 weeks |
For potholes on Link and Local Access road types:
| Pothole description | Response time |
|---|---|
| Greater than 50mm in depth and a significant risk to public safety | 5 days |
| Greater than 50mm in depth but less of a risk to public safety | 21 days |
| Less than 50mm in depth | Not yet large enough for repair |
For Minor road types:
| Pothole description | Response time |
|---|---|
| Greater than 80mm in depth and a significant risk to public safety | 5 days |
| Greater than 80mm in depth but less of a risk to public safety | 21 days |
| Less than 80mm in depth | Not yet large enough for repair |
For potholes on cycleways:
| Location of cycleway | Pothole type | Response time |
|---|---|---|
| On Strategic, Main Distributor and Secondary Distributor road types | Greater than 40mm in depth and a significant risk to public safety |
36 hours |
| Greater than 40mm in depth but less of a risk to public safety | 21 days | |
| 20mm to 40mm in depth | 13 weeks | |
| All other cycleways | Greater than 40 mm in depth and a significant risk to public safety | 5 days |
| Greater than 40 mm in depth but less of a risk to public safety | 21 days | |
| 20mm to 40mm in depth | Not yet large enough for repair |
For potholes on footpaths:
| Pothole type | Response time |
|---|---|
| Greater than 25mm in depth and a risk to public safety | 36 hours |
| Greater than 25mm in depth but less of a risk to public safety | 21 days |
| 20mm to 25mm in depth | 13 weeks |
Manhole covers and drain covers
For ironworks on all road carriageways:
| Problem type | Response time |
|---|---|
| Missing covers or large gaps in framework | 2 hours |
| Greater than 40mm level difference with frame | 36 hours |
| Greater than 20mm level difference with frame | Not yet large enough for repair |
For ironworks on footways and cycleways:
| Problem type | Response time |
|---|---|
| Greater than 20mm level difference with frame | 2 hours |
Flooding
We will attend a site if there is standing water after heavy rainfall that inhibits the free flow of traffic. If this is on a Strategic, Main Distributor or Secondary Distributor road types, we will respond within two hours if the flooding is causing network restrictions or safety concerns. In this instance, you can expect warning signs or other mitigation. If this happens on a Link or Local Access road types, we will investigate the cause of flooding within 28 days.
Drainage
Blocked gullies (silted above outlet) leading to network restrictions or safety concerns will be investigated within two hours if it's causing a network or safety concern.
In areas at risk of flooding, gullies are cleaned once a year or more often if required. Other forms of drainage are checked, cleaned or repaired when required, or when a problem is reported to us.
Sometimes a gully may appear to be blocked but the problem could be with the drain into which the gully is connected.
Traffic signalled junctions and crossings
Traffic signals are used to manage traffic flow or improve the safety of vehicles and/or pedestrians. These are either at junctions or at standalone pedestrian crossings. If the signals go out or have another fault, we will attend to fix them within the times below. Response times are dependent on the severity of the issue, not on the classification or type of the road.
| Problem type | Response and repair time |
|---|---|
| Signals off, road traffic accident, signals stuck or red lamp out | 2 hours to attend site, make safe within 4 hours |
| Any lamp other than a red lamp out | Within 1 day |
| All other faults (including vehicle detectors) | Within 3 days. |
Road markings
Road markings are used to define roads, bus and cycle lanes, and traffic calming schemes. They also help enforce parking or loading areas and reduce damage to the side of roads.
Any faded or worn road markings on the highways which we are responsible for will be responded to within the below response times (depending on their severity and road category).
| Road type | Category 1 | Response Time | Category 2 | Response Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic | Missing Give Way or Stop Lines | 5 days | All other road markings - 30% loss of effective marking | 13 weeks |
| Main Distributor and Secondary Distributor | Missing Give Way or Stop Lines | 5 days | All other road markings - 50% loss of effective marking | 13 weeks |
| All other roads | Missing Give Way, Stop Lines | 5 days | All other road markings - 70% loss of effective marking | 13 weeks |
| Footways and Cycleways | Missing Give Way, Stop Lines | 5 days | All other road markings - 70% loss of effective marking | 13 weeks |
Grass, hedges, trees and weeds
During the summer months, we have an annual grass cutting programme for grass verges along Cambridgeshire roads. Our grass cutting programme takes place between May and October. Grass cutting is carried out by one of the County Council's subcontractors or by some parish councils on our behalf.
To find out more about when grass will be cut in your area, who carries out the grass cutting and where will be cut, please see our grass cutting webpage.
If you notice an area where grass is causing a safety issue, you can report it to us via our online reporting tool. Below are our response times.
| Road type | Problem | Response Time |
|---|---|---|
| All | Greater than 150mm deep and over 5m long | 14 days |
Trees
Trees alongside the road are usually the responsibility of the adjoining landowner. When we receive a report of a overhanging tree or bush, we will inspect it to see if it is a danger to the public, especially if it forces people to walk out into the road or obstructs signs for motorists. We then try to identify the landowner and ask them to carry out the work. The majority of the time, once a landowner has been made aware of the issue, they will carry out the work. If they are unable to, the local parish council may volunteer to do it.
As a last resort, the County Council do have powers to enforce landowners to carry out the work, especially if it is a safety issue. In an emergency, we will deal with any overhanging or overgrown trees or hedges on the highway provided they are above our intervention levels detailed in the table below.
| Road type | Problem | Response Time |
|---|---|---|
| All | Unstable tree causing danger of collapse onto highway | 2 hours |
