Owen Temple

I had no idea what it meant either when I saw this on the agenda of the Highways Committee. Just exactly who do the Statutory Undertakers bury?

It turns out that it’s not “who they bury”, but “what they bury” as the statutory undertakers are the two hundred authorised bodies which dig up our roads to bury wires, pipes and so on.

Apparently they dig 17,000 holes each year in County Durham’s roads, and have to re-instate them and guarantee those reinstatements for two years (or three if particularly deep).

The county council inspects 10% of those holes whilst in progress to check that the signage is right, that danger is avoided, and that particular care is taken to protect pedestrians.

It has to inspect a further 10% on reinstatement to check that the quality is up to scratch.

Finally the county council has to inspect 10% of these repairs as they come to the end of the guarantee period.

And this is where you come in. “Many issues we can’t do anything about because we don’t know about them,” said Dave Pownall, head of Highway Network Management. So you and I can be added eyes and ears.

Please let me know (better still send me a photo) if you see a hole which is not adequately protected or signed, or which forces pedestrians into the road but with no protection.

Adopt a hole, and when it’s coming up to the end of its guarantee period, let me know if its reinstatement has failed (better still send me a photo) so I can feed it into the system for re-inspection.

You never guessed that being a councillor could be so interesting!