Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many what proportion of (a) classified and (b) unclassified local roads are recorded as having no formal drainage infrastructure.

Local highway authorities, such as Essex County Council and Thurrock Council, have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as 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.

In line with this, no direct discussions have been had with Essex County Council or Thurrock Council on the adequacy of surface water drainage infrastructure on local roads in Basildon or Thurrock.

Although the Government does not monitor drainage infrastructure for classified and unclassified local roads, it does encourage authorities to maintain their drainage assets through guidance.

For example, guidance on asset management for local highways authorities can be found in the Code of Practice for Well-Managed Highways Infrastructure. This states that “drainage assets should be maintained in good working order to reduce the threat and scale of flooding. Particular attention should be paid to locations known to be prone to problems, so that drainage systems operate close to their designed efficiency.”