Different organisations are responsible for the maintenance of manhole covers and road gullies.
How to report a manhole cover problem to a utility company
Utility companies are legally required to repair and maintain manhole covers and pipes on the highway that they own.
Find out how to identify which utility company is responsible for a manhole cover and how you can report a problem:
- BT or Openreach - covers can usually be identified by the letters “BT” on the cover. Some older BT manhole covers may have different lettering such as “PO”, “GPO” or “TELECOM”. Report a problem to BT or Openreach
- Electricity North West - covers can usually be identified by the word "ELECTRICITY" on the cover. Some covers may show the name of an older company, such as "NORWEB" or "O.C.E.W". Report a problem to Electricity North West
- National Grid Gas - gas valve covers are can be identified by the letter “G” or the word “GAS” on the cover. Report a problem to National Grid Gas
- United Utilities - are responsible for the maintenance of foul and clean water outside of a property boundary such as public footpath, road or field. They are also responsible for fire hydrants. Report a problem to United Utilities
- Virgin Media - covers can be identified by the lettering “CATV” on the cover. Some covers may show the name of an older company “NYNEX” or “Cable & Wireless”. Report a problem to Virgin Media by phoning 0330 333 0444
- If you can't identify the utility company responsible for a manhole cover, you can report manhole cover problems to us.
How to report a road gully problem to us
We're responsible for maintaining road gullies. Road gullies have a metal grill cover and collect water that runs off roads and pavements.