How we look after our footpaths
We have a responsibility for the maintenance of all adopted footpaths within the county.
We carry out a variety of maintenance schemes throughout the year, these include:
- minor patching works
- footpath surface treatment
- resurfacing works
- full reconstruction
Footpath inspections
To minimise the likelihood of someone tripping, we have a programme of footpath inspections. Footpaths which are used the most are inspected on a more frequent basis. We use the recommendations in Well Maintained Highways, a Code of Good Practice produced by the UK Roads Board:
| Category | Name | Description | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | Prestige Walking Zone | Very busy areas of towns and cities with high public space and streetscene contribution | 2 weekly |
| 1 | Primary Walking Routes | Busy urban shopping and business areas and main pedestrian routes. | 1 month |
| 2 | Secondary Walking Routes | Medium use routes through local areas feeding into primary routes, local shopping centres. | 3 months |
| 3 | Link Footways | Linking local access footways through urban areas and busy rural footways. | 6 months |
| 4 | Local Access Footways | Footways associated with low use, short estate roads to the main routes and cul-de-sacs. | 1 year |
Edging
We use path cleaners and weed rippers to remove moss and clear overgrown footpaths.
Between November and February we aim to lift low tree branches; prune unwanted new shoots from the base of trees and check for areas that may require a strim or weed spray. We also repair and paint fences as well as take care of footpaths which need a deep clean or scrub, and tackle street signs that need cleaning or have growth starting to cover them up. We tidy up roundabout dissplays and clean up drains along the edges of the paths which may have trapped litter.
- Email help@durham.gov.uk
- Telephone 03000 26 0000
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