Following an upsurge in public interest in the Devon County Council's Road Warden Scheme, I have made improvements to my Pothole Handbook to help parish councils understand better what is involved and enable faster sign-ups to the Road Warden Scheme.

Ten years ago, leading parish councils in Devon asked Devon County Council if they could harness community spirit to help keep drains clear and stop small potholes from developing into the big ones that Highways could fix. Take a peek at this video to hear more.

MGroup (Highways contractor) and Devon County Council ran a practical demonstration for Salcombe Division Road Wardens on how to permanently fix a pothole using simple equipment. It's quick, simple and safe. Lets do it! Watch the video and share it please!

Devon County Council is legally obliged to fix potholes with a vertical edge because they pose a greater safety risk. Road wardens could fix the ones with the sloping edges if their parish council has signed the Road Warden Agreement Full details on P4 of the Pothole Handbook.

We are where we are. We must get on with fixing all potholes that DCC can no longer fix and do not have a statutory responsibility to do so. Parish councils can fill this gap by registering with the Devon County Council Road Warden Scheme and appointing a volunteer Road Warden and team of volunteers. A Road Warden is a local volunteer coordinator appointed by parish and town councils. The scheme began in 2017 due to the reduced Highways budgets. It empowers local volunteers to fix potholes, on ‘C’ and Unclassified roads, that do not yet meet the ‘Defect criteria’ which DCC has regrettably been forced to impose due to the devastating cuts to the annual Government grant to county councils across the country. The council provides training (such as Chapter 8 traffic management) and cold-lay bitumen whilst volunteers from local communities carry out the work. Chapter 8 training provides essential instruction on temporary traffic management, safety, as well as, signing, lighting, and guarding on UK highways. Based on the Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 8, it ensures operatives, supervisors, and planners can safely set up road works to protect both workers and the public DCC introduced the Highway Maintenance Community Enhancement Fund (HMCEF) to provide grants to assist parishes with the costs of equipment needed to repairs these potholes. How the Road Warden Scheme works The Road Warden does not necessarily physically carry out the works in their community, although they can do so if they wish to and have undertaken the necessary training. The Road Warden is responsible for coordinating the works that take place. It is useful if the Road Warden is a parish councillor because this assists their contribution to the Parish Priority Lists and subsequent site visits organised by their Neighbourhood Highways Officer The Road Warden will agree works with their Neighbourhood Highway Officer, ensure that a risk assessment of any works is carried out and that DCC’s method statements are followed. A Road Warden can manage a team of volunteers who carry out the works. The training and qualification requirements depend on the work that is planned. For example, if potholes are being repaired on the live carriageway at least one volunteer must hold City & Guilds Chapter 8 training. Chapter 8 training teaches how to place signs to create a safe environment for workers and highway users. The course is run over two days and the resulting qualification is Q1 Signing, Lighting and Guarding of the Street Works Qualification Register (SWQR). DCC will provide free Chapter 8 training for up to 3 members of an organisation. Chapter 8 makes volunteers safety savvy - it does not teach them how to fix potholes. In Salcombe Division our Road Wardens collaborate to share good practice from more experienced Road Wardens who have now made permanent repairs to about one thousand non-defect potholes on minor roads. What else can Road Warden volunteers do? Pothole repairs (when they do not meet DCC intervention criteria). Clearing weeds. Cleaning signs. Cleaning drainage (gully grating). Cutting grass Repairing finger posts. Managing verges for wildlife All works must be discussed, in the first instance, with the local Neighbourhood Highways Officer. Road Wardens would not be responsible for carrying out safety repairs for Defect potholes, as this remains the responsibility of the Devon County Council. A Road Warden should: Be nominated as suitable by the town or parish council Be the communication link between DCC and the parish council

Water erodes road surfaces whether they are protected by tarmac or not. Devon is the second wettest county in the country and climate change is not on our side - so we don't stand a chance unless we all work together to sort this out. The constant cycles of wet/freeze/thaw expand small cracks in the tarmac surface of roads. Water penetrates the cracks and fills any spaces within the road structure. As traffic passes over these water-filled cracks, the water pressure builds, expanding the damaged zone into a circular cavern that eventually collapses - forming a pothole. Keeping our buddle-holes, gullies and grips flowing freely keeps water off the road and prevents new potholes forming or small potholes getting larger.

Potholes can be prevented if we keep water off the roads by maintaining the road drainage systems that protect our roads. Devon has 180,000 gullies so it's a massive job to keep an eye on all of them and keep them clear. We have the longest road network of 8,000 miles of predominantly minor roads. Its a huge job. We need to work together on this. Road Wardens can play a key role in this endeavour. Keeping our buddle-holes, gullies and grips flowing freely keeps water off the road and prevents new potholes forming or small potholes getting larger. Keeping the water off the road is key to slowing down the deterioration of the road surface. Climate change is increasing the incidence of winter storms and rainfall deluge. Our drainage network aims to divert normal rainfall off our highways and into our river system via a series of gullies (drains in the roads), buddle-holes (gaps in hedges from the road into neighbouring fields) and grips (trenches at an angle to the road which directs water into the verge). Maintenance of drainage network Prior to 2011, all these assets used to be cleared manually by local DCC Parish Lengthsmen using a shovel. Regular low-level maintenance kept the drainage system in preparedness for winter rains. The frequency of maintenance visits by a DCC Parish Lengthsman is now reduced to about two days per year per parish. This is a result of the ‘centralisation’ of Highways services (2011) in response to Austerity measures demanded of County Councils by HM Government. Because of infrequent maintenance visits, it may also now require more expensive intervention using a ‘gully sucker’ to unblock the gulley. Some parish councils are now funding their own Parish Lengthsman from the parish precept and some are sharing the cost with neighbouring parishes. Gullies Devon has approximately 180,000 gullies. Our drainage features are cleaned as part of a cyclic programme. A DCC interactive map shows when a drain was last inspected and how often a specific drain is cleaned as part of a cyclical programme - either once a year or once every three years. https://www.devon.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-problem/map/map_src/kaarb/ If flooding of properties occurs, it may be possible for the Neighbourhood Highways Officer to apply to have the frequency of the gully clearing to be enhanced. Buddle-holes Gaps in the hedges along roadsides have been made, where standing water is anticipated collect. These ‘buddle-holes’ take water off the road and allow it to drain into the fields on the other side. It is DCC’s responsibility to keep the drain clear from the road to the hedge. It is the landowner’s legal responsibility to keep the drain clear on the landward side of the buddle-hole. DCC Highways do not enter private land to assist with this but have powers to do so if required. Grips Grips usually take water from a sloping road onto a verge. They are cleared on a DCC rota system and are often cleared by Parish Lengthsmen or Road Wardens with a shovel.

More potholes are reported during the winter because we are not able to keep the vast winter storm waters off our roads. More water on the roads - more potholes. During the summer, cold-lay bitumen materials will permanently fix potholes because the road surface is dry enough to also use the specialist emulsion that fixes and seals the cold tar into the pothole. This is a 'proper job!" However, potholes that have to be fixed over the wet, wet, wet winters cannot always use the emulsion because it is highly toxic to aquatic life. It is prohibited from use during persistent rain or in very wet roads where there is a risk of run-off and pollution of waterways. These potholes will inevitability need to be re-filled if there is persistent rainfall after the repair is made and the drainage system fails to take water off the road. Devon County Council is nonetheless legally obliged to fill these potholes in the winter irrespective of the likelihood of longevity of the repair. Road Wardens can use the same cold-lay tarmac WITH the emulsion during weather windows conducive to permanent repairs, because they live locally and can react quickly. DCC provides the cold-lay materials and the Chapter 8 training to facilitate this. DCC can also offer grants to help parish councils cover the cost of equipment - see Highway Community Enhancement Fund. Road Wardens and Parish Lengthsmen (the latter paid for by parish councils) play a vital role in keeping water of the road and repairing non-defect potholes during good weather thus preventing the formation of ‘defect’ potholes. If we can fix the 'Non-defect potholes' during the spring and the summer when we CAN use the emulsion to create a permanent repair- then we may have fewer Defcet potholes developing in the wet winter months.

Road Wardens who clear drains and fix potholes also improve water quality because 18% of river pollution comes from roads! Find out how your parish council can join the Road Warden Scheme. We all win and so does the wildlife that relies on a healthy river.

I have written this guide to help Councillors (County, District and Parish) as a quick guide for parish councillors on a range of highways matters from zebra crossings to enforcement of double yellow lines. Please share with Devon parish councils.