Outside work needs approval, council warns

Rotherham Borough Council said several homes in the borough had had unauthorised work carried out to “drop” kerbs leading to their driveways.

However, the council said people may not be aware that permission was needed from the local authority’s highways department before such work took place.

Colin Knight,the council’s head of service for highways, said: “The council can install a dropped kerb for you, or you can use your own contractor once permission has been granted, but they must be properly licensed to do the work and householders should check their qualifications.

“We would recommend that anyone considering having this kind of work done speaks to the council in the first instance, as people have fallen victim to ‘rogue traders’ in the past and ended up with examples of poor workmanship that has then cost them even more to put right.”

Members of the public can find out more and apply for a dropped kerb at

http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/info/200072/parking/481/apply_for_a_dropped_kerb.