Renfrewshire Council

What a road edge (gully) is

A road edge, also known as gully, consists of a concrete pot positioned under the road surface with an iron grate visible from the road.

The water collects in the pot and is then channeled through a series of pipes before connecting into the main sewer network.

How we clean the gullies

As part of our Team Up to Clean Up campaign, we have invested in our gully cleaning service and increased the number of machines and crews on the road.

A large mechanical sweeper cleans the gullies with brushes and lifts items of litter, detritus, grit and other loose material.

Cleaning consists of vacuuming any waste, inspecting the health of the drain and carrying out high pressure water jetting to remove any remaining obstructions.

Why they need to be cleaned

Drains and grates can be blocked by leaves, mud, litter and other detritus, stopping the free flow of water throughout the sewage system and leading to standing water on roads and walkways.

The gully operates similar to a toilet with a water trap in place to prevent smells from the sewer. The public can be reassured that seeing water within a gully, is a normal sight and shouldn't cause any concern.

This improves both the functioning of the gully and the appearance, allowing an increased flow of water along the kerb edge into roadside gully pots.

How you can help

To help us clean the gullies, we ask residents to keep cars and other vehicles away from gullies to allow us to access them for cleaning.