Repair criteria for highway defects

Once a defect has been identified (either after it has been detected from an inspection or reported by the public - preferably using our Highway Reporting Tool) we'll assess it against our repair criteria and take appropriate action, such as raising an order for repair work to be carried out.  Sometimes we may determine that work is not required at that time but we will  monitor the location as part of our routine inspections.

Category 1 repairs

If the issue is potentially dangerous to life and limb (i.e. it is a Category 1 defect) work should commence within 2 hours of the repair being ordered - this can include making the location safe e.g. by erecting barriers, giving us time to order more permanent repairs.  We operate a 24/7 out of hours emergency service to deal with these defects

Category 2 to 5 repairs

Categories 2 to 5 response times start at 12:01am the following working day to when the issue is assessed by Suffolk Highways and a decision made to order work. This enables the time between the placing of the order and midnight to be used to plan the remedial work and enable the full working days to be available for completion of such works.

If a defect is found or reported and there are already works planned at the same location within a reasonable timescale, it's unlikely that new works will be scheduled to correct the defect beforehand.

However, if the defect is reported and there is future programmed work to be carried out, a repair (perhaps temporary) may have to be made if there is too great a time gap between the defect being reported and when the planned work is scheduled to take place.

Category 6 repairs

The timescale for Category 6 repairs is 14 weeks. This category is used where the highway remains in a safe condition but some work is required. This will be programmed to take place when we are in the area, potentially undertaking other work, to make best use of our resources.  We will ensure these works are completed within 14 weeks, or earlier where possible.

The potential works needed to rectify a defect may not be to just fill the hole, but to consider carrying out a patch repair for the hole and the surrounding area. This would entail one visit and one repair treatment.

However the repair would need to form part of a wider order in the area for a road patching gang to make the actions economically sensible, meaning it may be a number of months before it's tackled.

We also carry out annual programmes of road marking renewals, surface dressing, surface treatments, resurfacing, patching and slurry sealing of footways.

These types of programmes and cyclic maintenance are all forms of planned work - more information about these can be found on our Roadworks in Suffolk page.