Reporting Problems in Basildon: Potholes, Fly-Tipping, Street Lights and Noise

Half the battle with a local problem is knowing who is actually responsible. In the Basildon borough, the answer splits between Basildon Borough Council, which handles rubbish, cleaning, graffiti, abandoned vehicles and neighbourhood nuisance, and Essex County Council, which looks after nearly all the roads, pavements and street lights. This guide sorts the common problems by who to tell, with links to the official reporting pages.

Who do I report a pothole to in Basildon?

Essex County Council is responsible for roads in the borough, apart from a very few owned by the borough council, so potholes and road surface problems go to Essex Highways through its Tell us tool. You can report potholes, damaged pavements, kerbing issues and faded lines online, and you can use Track it to see whether the county already knows about an issue or to follow one you have reported. If you believe there is a risk to public safety, the site explains which urgent issues can be reported online with photos, and otherwise asks you to phone 0345 603 7631. Basildon Council's own roads and pavements page sets out the exceptions where the borough council is responsible instead: Basildon town centre, Lake Meadows, parks and open spaces, and Billericay and Pitsea cemeteries. Trunk roads and motorways are different again, so a problem on the A12 or M25, for instance, goes to National Highways on 0300 123 5000, according to the Essex Highways page.

How do I report a broken street light?

Street lighting maintenance is an Essex County Council job, so use the same Essex Highways reporting tool and choose the lights, signals and signs category, which also covers traffic lights and signs. The council's lighting page simply redirects you there. The exception is the small set of areas listed above, such as the town centre, Lake Meadows and parks, where Basildon Council is responsible for its own lighting and takes reports online.

Who clears fly-tipping and dumped rubbish?

The borough council does, and you report it through the dumped rubbish form, where you search a street or postcode or drop a pin on the map. The council's street scene services page carries a notice worth knowing about: because of rules on persistent organic pollutants found in items such as sofas, chairs and electrical equipment, dumped waste of this kind must be kept intact and moved separately to specialist facilities. That means a fly-tip may be only partly cleared at first, with a second crew returning later, although the council says it aims to finish on the same day where it can. The same page has separate reports for domestic waste spillage, street cleaning, drug paraphernalia, stray animals and roadkill, and broken street furniture.

How do I report graffiti or dog fouling?

Graffiti has its own report graffiti page under street scene services. For dog fouling in a public place such as a footpath or green area, including where a neighbour lets a dog out into the street and does not pick up, use the council's dog fouling page, which offers an online form. If the fouling is in the communal areas of a block, such as stairwells or shared gardens, contact your managing agent or housing association, and council tenants and leaseholders should contact the council's housing enquiries. Dog fouling or odour coming from a neighbouring home or business goes to the council's Environmental Health service instead. It is a legal requirement to clean up after your dog in any public place.

How do I report an abandoned vehicle?

Use the abandoned vehicles page. The council defines an abandoned vehicle as one the owner no longer wants, left on open land the public can reach, and it says the vehicle may be in poor condition, unmoved for some time, untaxed or vandalised. If you suspect a car is only untaxed, check it on GOV.UK first. The council may attach a sticker asking the keeper to claim it within seven days, and dangerous vehicles can be removed straight away. Some things are not the council's job: vehicles blocking a driveway or garage are a police matter, and stolen vehicles are dealt with by the police. The council also handles abandoned vehicles on the A127, A130, A13 and A1245 within the borough boundary.

Who deals with noise complaints?

The borough council can help with noisy neighbours, and its noise report page recommends speaking to the neighbour first if it is safe. If that fails you can use the form, and the council will contact the person, send you an observation sheet to log dates and times, and can serve an abatement notice if a statutory nuisance is proven. It can look at persistent loud music, excessive television noise, electronic noise and noisy appliances, but it says it cannot help with shouting, banging doors or children playing. Reports need your contact details or they are deleted. Barking dogs have a separate dog noise page.

Quick answers

Potholes, pavements and street lights: Essex Highways at essexhighways.org. Fly-tipping, graffiti, dog fouling, street cleaning and abandoned vehicles: Basildon Borough Council street scene reporting. Noisy neighbours: Basildon Council's noise form. Motorway and trunk road problems: National Highways. If something does not fit any online form, the council has a page called my issue is not reportable online. For anything dangerous or an emergency, do not use these forms.