Report an obstruction on a road or street

Before you start

Do not report an obstruction caused either by parked vehicles or overgrown trees or hedges. You can find out how to report those at these links:

• Parking enforcement
• Roadside grass cutting, weeds and overgrown hedges or trees

Privacy notice

You can find out how any personal information you send to DfI Roads when using this 'report a fault' service will be handled by viewing its privacy notice.

Additional information

Tracking the progress of a fault

You are able to check the progress of a fault you have reported at this link:

• Track progress of a fault

Other ways to report

You can also report an obstruction on a road or street by email or phone (for emergencies only) by using the contact details on the DfI Roads page.

You should provide the following details:

• the nearest town, road or street name
• any obvious landmark close to the obstruction
• a description of the obstruction

Removing an obstruction

If a person without lawful authority or excuse in any way wilfully obstructs the free passage of cars/ pedestrians along a road or street, that person is guilty of an offence.

In such cases the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has legal powers and may enforce removal.

Placing of builders skips, erection of scaffolding and roadworks can also be considered obstructions. However, these can be carried out quite legally if certain conditions are met.

Unauthorised vendors/ traders on roads or streets are dealt with by the local council.

• Local councils in Northern Ireland

Water flowing onto the public road

Allowing water to flow from your property onto the public road is not only an offence but can cause a significant danger to road users, particularly during frosty conditions.

Water flowing onto a ‘salted’ road represents a particular danger, as the running water will simply wash the salt from the road surface - allowing it to freeze.

Landowners should take whatever steps are necessary to prevent water flowing onto nearby roads.

In certain circumstances, particularly in the interests of road safety, DfI may serve a notice on the owner or occupier of adjoining land requiring them to remedy the situation.

DfI may also carry out whatever work is necessary to restore the road condition themselves and may seek to recover costs from the offender, if possible.