Highway Patrols

Leicestershire County Council is deploying highway patrols to further improve its rapid response service for road users.

Thirteen highway patrols are now operating across the County as part of an improved user-friendly emergency service for minor road maintenance and defect repairs.

The County Council is responsible for more than 4,000 km (2,500 miles) of roads and pavements and this latest initiative is part of its commitment to provide an excellent service to local people.

Highway patrols inspect and repair defects on the County roads at least once a year, with heavily used routes being inspected more frequently. Part of the Highways Inspectors' job is to report and update the Highways Management Database from site, allowing a quick response to emergencies and serious hazards by the Highway Patrol Repair Gang.

You can report serious defects or hazards on roads or pavements by using our freephone Roadline 0800 62 62 03 and help the highway patrols to:

Highway patrols will operate across the County to improve highway inspection and repair. Each highway patrol consists of highway inspectors, a shared 'quick response' gang and a highway repair gang with joint responsibility for the delivery of a reliable, consistent service that responds to local needs.

Highway patrols will operate in a 'patch' based where possible on parish/political ward groupings within district boundaries, allowing improved communications with local community representatives to be developed.

Parish and town councils, highway forums and other community groups will also be kept informed when annual highway safety inspections are due to take place. Local community representatives will then have an opportunity to highlight any highway maintenance safety issues to their local highway patrol inspector.

Community groups can help us to help you by being our 'eyes and ears', informing us about any niggling problems on the roads and pavements that you would like repaired the next time the Highway Patrol repair gang is in your area.

This list gives an idea of what the Highway Patrol will usually fix when they are carrying out highway safety and minor repairs visits to your area

* NB Please note that road and pavement litter removal and sweeping are carried out by your local District Council.

Helping us reduce the number of defects also helps reduce accidents and successful claims. This reduces payment from highway funds, allowing more to be spent on maintaining your roads and pavements.

If you have an accident that was contributed to by a defect in the highway, you may be able to claim reimbursement of your losses if you can prove that the County Council has failed in its duties.

In law, for a claim to succeed, it is necessary for the claimant to prove that:

If these can be proved, it is up to the highway authority to demonstrate that it took all reasonable steps to ensure that the highway was safe. In practice, this means that all inspections and repairs carried out form the basis of the authority's statutory defence against any claim under the Highways Act 1980. The majority of claims against Leicestershire County Council are successfully defended.

If an incident occurred as a result of works carried out on the highway by a utility company or contractor, your claim may be against them and not the highway authority.

Processing unsuccessful claims is a costly drain on staff time, diverting resources from frontline services.

Please think carefully before making a claim.

Highway patrols are part of the Leicestershire Highways initiative to improve communication and highways services within your area

Other initiatives are:

Road works are carried out by many different companies such as gas, water, electricity and telephone companies. The County Council co-ordinates planned work on the highway through regular liaison with all parties involved.