Gullies take surface water from the road into the main drain which is maintained by Severn Trent Water. The gully acts as a 'catch' to prevent any sediment and debris from being carried into the main drain. And like your toilet, the water pot in the gully prevents bad smells feeding back from the main drain. If you see sewerage feeding back into the gully or onto the highway you should contact Severn Trent.
We are responsible for repairing gullies and cleaning them out to help prevent blockages in the gully and subsequent flooding when it rains heavily.
Wolverhampton has 32,500 gullies which are cleaned out periodically - usually once or twice a year. Areas known to receive larger amounts of sediment are cleaned more regularly.
Even when gullies have been recently cleaned, problems can still occur. It is not unusual for some roads to flood when the amount of water on the road is greater than the capacity of the local drainage, perhaps during or after a storm or heavy downpour.
Reporting gully problems
You can report a gully problem by using our Love Clean Streets app.