Skip permits

If you need to put a skip in the road, you must first apply to the Council for a permit.

If your application meets all the necessary conditions, the Council will grant you permission to put a skip in the road in accordance with section 139 of the 1980 Highways Act.

It is an offence under The Highways Act to put a skip in the road without a permit and may result in prosecution. It is the household’s or the building contractor’s responsibility to obtain the skip permit.

A permit can be valid for any period between one day and 28 days. For periods longer than 28 days, an additional application must be made.

The skip owner or supplier is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate regulations are adhered to.

Skip positioning

Each skip must not be bigger than five metres in length by two metres in width and skips must be positioned in the road unless the Council has granted a permit for the skip to be placed elsewhere.

If permission is granted to place skips on a footway or grass verge, a deposit is needed to cover any damage which may be caused.

Skip owners or suppliers who are issued with a permit to put skips in the road are responsible for ensuring that:

skips are positioned on the road so that their longest sides are parallel to the edge of the road and are as near to the edge of the road as is possible
skips are not positioned less than 15 metres from a junction, except when permission has been granted
skips do not obstruct access to a premises, unless the consent of the occupier has been obtained
skips are positioned on the road so that they do not obstruct drivers and pedestrians in any way
skips do not prevent water drainage on the road or obstruct manholes or stop any functions that need to be carried out by the authorities
if two or more skips are needed in the road, they must be positioned as closely as possible to each other.

Skip markings

each skip must be clearly marked with the skip owner or supplier’s name and telephone number and all markings must also be kept clean and visible at all times
the ends of each skip, i.e. the sides of the skip facing traffic in both directions, must be painted yellow and must be fitted with vertical red and yellow fluorescent reflective markings which comply with British Standard BS AU152:1970 and are marked with that number
markings must be fitted as near as possible to the top outer corners of the ends of the skip, but no higher than one and a half metres above ground level
the markings must not be fitted to lids and should only be fitted to a door when it is not possible to put markings on the end of the skip
when a marking has to be fitted to a door, the door should be kept closed, unless loading or unloading is actually taking place.

Cones and flash lights

skips placed on the road require traffic cones on the approach side to guide traffic safely past them
when it is dark or in bad weather conditions, all skips must be marked by amber flashing lights which are placed against the skip or attached to each corner of it. If there are two or more skips with less than two metres between them, lights can be put on the end corners of the row of skips
if the skip or skips are positioned on the road, lights should be placed between each of the road cones
you will be charged by the council if contractors have to be sent out to make a skip safe or to put lights on an unlit skip.

Skip contents

Skips placed on the road must not contain any inflammable, explosive, toxic or other dangerous materials or anything which is likely to cause a nuisance to road users.

Contents of the skip must be kept covered to prevent dust or spillage on the road. The skip must not be overloaded and must be removed when it is full.
Emptying skips

All materials placed in skips must be properly disposed of. Full skips must be removed for emptying as soon as possible and in all cases not later than two working days after they have been filled.
Other regulations

Other regulations that the skip owner or supplier is responsible for adhering to are:

getting insurance so that the Council is covered against any claims made regarding skips in the road
not subletting or transferring the ownership of any skips licensed by the council
skip permit expiry - once the skip permit issued by the council has expired, you must remove the skip from the road
the road where the skip was positioned must be left in a clean and tidy condition
if you need to have a skip in the road for an additional amount of time, you must reapply to the council for another skip permit.

Complaints

If you have any complaints about the locations or safety of skips, please contact us using the details below.

How to access the service

To apply for a permit, please contact us using the details below. The Council will then send you a form which you must complete and post back. Payment will be requested from you once the permit has been issued by the Council.