Report a pavement or road obstruction

It's an offence, under the Highways Act 1980, to cause an obstruction on the highway (roads, pavements, verges, footpaths and bridleways).

Types of obstruction

Obstructions are objects unlawfully placed on, or which overhang, the highway, including:

Obstructions can be hazardous to pedestrians, especially those who are elderly, blind or disabled, forcing them to walk in the road because they can't pass the obstruction.

Caravans and trailers

If you own a caravan or trailer, you should store it on your own property.

It's an offence to keep a caravan or a trailer on the public highway for longer than 24 hours. 

Fallen trees

We're responsible for clearing fallen trees from the borough's roads.  In an emergency, you can report a fallen tree by calling (01226) 773555 (24 hours).

Call 999 if a fallen tree may be a potential risk to someone's safety or where there's been a collision with a tree and people have been injured.

Removal of obstructions

We're responsible for keeping the borough's roads and pavements fit for the motorists and pedestrians who use them. If you wilfully obstruct them, you may be guilty of an offence.

How to report an obstruction

To report an obstruction on a road or pavement, including those caused by caravans or trailers, please use our online form.

You can check if a problem's already been reported, and the status of existing reports, on the map below.

Road and pavement obstructions

View full-screen map

Make a report

If the obstruction you're reporting isn't on the map, tell us about it using our online form.

Reports aren't picked up outside office hours or over bank holidays; call our 24 hour helpline if the obstruction's likely to cause a road traffic accident.

Before you begin

Use this form to report obstructions on roads and pavements in Barnsley.

Don't use it to report:

Fill in the form

It only takes a couple of minutes to fill in the form. All you have to do is:

  • click on the report a road or pavement obstruction button to start the form
  • show us on a map where the obstruction is by clicking to drop a pin; if you don't drop the pin in the right place you can move it around the map to the exact location of the obstruction
  • give as much detail as you can about the nature of the obstruction
  • upload a photo of the obstruction (optional)
  • click the submit report button

You can report a road or pavement obstruction anonymously, but if you'd like a receipt and reference number for your report, you must provide either your email address or mobile number.

After reporting

Once you've submitted the form, you'll be returned to this webpage, where you’ll see that the pothole you’ve reported has appeared as a pin on the map. You may need to wait a couple of minutes and refresh your screen to be able to see the status of the pin on the map.

The pin will remain on the map for at least 28 days, during which time you can come back to the webpage to check the status of your report.

Once the pin drops off the map, you won't be able make further enquiries about your report, unless you have a reference number.

What we'll do

When we receive your report, we'll investigate the obstruction and if it's unauthorised, we'll take appropriate action.