Who can dig up your street for broadband
Before full fibre can reach your door, it has to get along your street. Some builders hang it from poles, covered in our guide to new broadband poles and how to object. This guide is about the other route: trenches in the pavement or verge, ducts (underground pipes for the cables) and the patch of new surface left behind.
Network companies with Electronic Communications Code status, known as code operators, have "street work rights" under Schedule 3A to the Communications Act 2003. These let them install and keep equipment under, along or across a street, and break up or open the street to do it. In England and Wales "street" here means a highway maintained at public expense, under Part 3 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA, the main law on utility digging in roads and pavements). In street works language, the company digging is the undertaker or promoter; the council (or National Highways for its roads) is the street authority.
The Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003 attach conditions. A code operator must:
- consult the highway authority about works that break up a maintainable highway;
- keep hazards and interference with traffic as low as reasonably practicable, and share equipment where practicable;
- put underground equipment in the verge or footway rather than the road, unless that isn't reasonably practicable;
- lay underground equipment in a paved highway or a verge inside ducts, unless that isn't reasonably practicable.
That's why fibre trenches usually run along the pavement or verge rather than down the road.
Street work rights cover the public highway. If the route crosses private land, such as a shared drive or a garden, the operator usually needs the landowner's agreement instead: see our guide to broadband wayleaves and who must agree.
Where you live matters. The notice periods, works categories and reinstatement standards below come from Department for Transport codes for England. The NRSWA sections on notice and reinstatement also extend to Wales, but we haven't checked the Welsh codes. Scotland (Scottish Road Works Commissioner) and Northern Ireland (Department for Infrastructure) have their own regimes.
Notice: what the council gets, and what you get
The formal notice for street works goes to the council, not to you. Under section 54 of NRSWA, an undertaker planning street works must give the street authority advance notice in the prescribed cases, stating when it proposes to start; failing to is a criminal offence. It doesn't require a letter to each home.
In England, permits have largely taken over. The Department for Transport's co-ordination code (March 2026 edition, applying from 10 April 2026) says almost every highway authority in England runs a permit scheme, and that permits are becoming the way all street and road works are planned and co-ordinated. The council can attach conditions to a permit. The code sorts works into categories, each with a minimum notice period:
Category (England) | What it means | Minimum notice to the council |
|---|---|---|
Minor works | Planned to last 3 working days or less | 3 days |
Standard works | Planned to last 4 to 10 working days | 10 days |
Major works | 11 or more working days, or needing a temporary traffic regulation order (a legal order to close or restrict a road) | Provisional advance authorisation 3 months ahead, then a permit application 10 days ahead |
Immediate works | Emergency or urgent works | Within 2 hours of work starting |
A fibre build is planned work, so in England it should normally have a permit or notice on the council's system before anyone digs, even if you hear nothing directly. The code also has an "early start" process for planned works that need to begin sooner than first proposed, so don't count on a fixed number of days' warning.
Will you get a letter?
The co-ordination code says all works must be published on public-facing websites. For particularly impactful works, the council decides whether extra communication is needed, which may include letter drops to householders or businesses with frontages on the street, advance signs, webpages or social media.
Some network builders write anyway. CityFibre, for example, says its team hand-delivers a letter before construction starts in a street, explaining what to expect and the hours of work (checked October 2026). Other builders may not, so a missing letter doesn't mean the works are unauthorised: check the permit instead.
How to find out who is digging, and for how long
- Read the information board. For most works involving digging, the Red Book safety code (below) requires a board naming the organisation doing the works, any principal contractor and an emergency phone number, and where practical why and for how long.
- Check your council's website. The co-ordination code strongly recommends that authorities publish their street works register online.
- Use the national data. In England every council and promoter must use Street Manager, the Department for Transport's system. Its open data includes the promoter's name, street, works category, proposed and actual dates, permit status and conditions. Map sites such as one.network display works information; CityFibre points residents there, to the council, or to its team on site.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland: roadworksscotland.org lets you search road works in your area, and nidirect lists current and planned roadworks in Northern Ireland.
Note the promoter's name: that's who you complain to.
What a safe, well-run site should look like
The Safety at Street Works and Road Works code of practice, nicknamed the Red Book, is the 2013 code on GOV.UK for signing, lighting and guarding works on highways and roads. It covers everything except motorways and dual carriageways with a speed limit of 50mph or more. It was issued for all four UK nations; undertakers must comply, and except for Scottish roads authorities, failing to is a criminal offence. A checklist:
- An information board with the company's name, any principal contractor and an emergency number.
- A safe walking route. If the works block the footway, there must be a safe route for pedestrians, including access to neighbouring buildings and properties where necessary.
- Enough width. A temporary footway should ideally be at least 1.5 metres wide and must never be reduced below 1.0 metre of unobstructed width, barrier feet included. A walkway in the road should generally be 1.2 metres, with an absolute minimum of 1 metre. If the existing pavement is already narrower than 1 metre, the works needn't provide a wider route.
- Agreed hours. Companies work to hours agreed with the council. CityFibre says it normally starts no loud works before 8am, with any exemptions requested from or pre-approved by the council (checked October 2026).
Driveways are a common worry. We found no rule on how long a driveway can be blocked, beyond the Red Book's pedestrian access requirement. If you need the car out, or a carer is due, tell the team on site early; CityFibre asks residents worried about access to do exactly that.
How long it should take. CityFibre says it may be in an area for a few weeks but is usually outside each property for two to three days, depending on the area, method and any problems found (checked October 2026). In England, section 74 of NRSWA lets the council charge the promoter if works are unreasonably prolonged. Since the Street and Road Work Charges and Penalties Regulations 2025, overrun charges also apply at weekends and on bank holidays. Those charges go to the council, not to residents, so tell the council if a site overruns or looks abandoned.
Putting it back: the reinstatement rules
"Reinstatement" means filling the hole and restoring the surface. Section 70 of NRSWA puts this duty on the company that dug it: start as soon as reasonably practicable after any part of the works is finished, and complete "with all reasonable dispatch". It can be done in one go (a permanent reinstatement) or in two stages: a temporary interim surface, then the permanent one.
- An interim reinstatement must be made permanent as soon as reasonably practicable and within 6 months.
- The company must tell the council within 10 working days of completing each reinstatement, saying whether it is interim or permanent.
So temporary tarmac a few weeks on isn't a failure, but it shouldn't still be there six months later.
The standard it has to meet in England
In England the standard is the Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways (SROH), fourth edition, statutory guidance since 10 May 2021. The points that matter most to a householder:
- A guarantee. The company guarantees a permanent reinstatement for two years from completion, or three years for deep openings, and must put right a reinstatement that fails in that time.
- A clear trigger for sinking edges. Remedial action is needed where the edge of the reinstatement is more than 10mm out of level over a continuous length of more than 100mm.
- Verges. Topsoil within 200mm of the surface must be kept and reused. Grass must be reinstated with the original turf, replacement turf or equivalent seed, with reasonable growth within 12 months. Planted areas must get the same or similar species unless otherwise agreed, and debris must be removed.
- Narrow cuts count too. The SROH covers micro trenches (up to 60mm wide and over a metre long) and narrow trenches (over 60mm and up to 300mm wide).
These requirements apply in full to streets maintained at public expense. On other streets only the backfill and surround parts apply, with the reinstatement done to the reasonable satisfaction of the street manager.
Councils inspect works in progress and after completion under a Department for Transport code from April 2023, and contractors that perform poorly get more of their finished reinstatements sampled.
How to report a problem
Problem | Who to contact first |
|---|---|
Immediate danger: an unguarded hole, fallen barriers, no safe way past | The emergency number on the information board |
Noise, mess, blocked access or unsafe working | The company named on the board, through its complaints route |
A sunken or uneven trench, a verge left as mud, works overrunning or left idle | The company, then your council's highways or street works team |
Damage to your wall, drive, garden or car | The company's damage team (next section) |
Your broadband is down or slow, or a billing problem | Your broadband provider, not the network builder |
Step 1: the company. CityFibre handles construction complaints through its online assistant: type "raise a complaint" and you get a confirmation email with a reference number and an estimated response time. Its health and safety line for urgent concerns about its build is 0800 298 6267, for emergencies only (checked October 2026). For other networks, use the details on the board.
Step 2: the council. The council issues permits, inspects and can charge for overruns, so it's the right place for a poor reinstatement, an unsafe site or works that drag on. GOV.UK's Report a pothole page has a council finder for England and Wales (National Highways covers the motorways and A roads it manages in England); Scotland goes through your council via mygov.scot, and Northern Ireland reports to the Department for Infrastructure through nidirect.
What to record: the exact location; dated photos, with a ruler for scale if the surface has sunk; the names on the board; when the works ran and the problem appeared; and any reference numbers.
Example wording (a template, not a real case): "Fibre works by [company] outside [address] were reinstated around [date]. The trench edge has sunk by about [measurement] over [length], shown in the attached photos. Please inspect and arrange remedial work. My [company] reference is [number]."
Damage to your property: who to claim from
If the works damage something of yours, such as a front wall, block paving, a planted border or a parked car, start with the network company's own damage process. Two examples, checked October 2026:
- Openreach has a dedicated damage team, reached fastest through its website chat or by email; our guide to what to do if an engineer damages your home gives both routes. For street works, add the street, the dates the works ran and photos of the trench.
- CityFibre asks you to report damage to your property through the "Chat with us" icon on its website.
For another network, use the name on the information board and ask the on-site team for its damage route; our guide to which network your broadband is on explains the main ones.
What the law does and doesn't say
Section 82 of NRSWA makes an undertaker pay for loss to the street authority, or the cost of repairing other owners' equipment in the street, caused by its street works, without them having to prove negligence (though not for loss caused by their own negligence or by a third party). It doesn't name householders. But section 82(6) says nothing in that section removes any other liability the company would otherwise have. So there's no automatic right for you, but any ordinary legal claim you have survives.
Whether a claim succeeds depends on the facts; this guide isn't legal advice. Report damage promptly with dated photos, get a repair quote before agreeing any settlement, keep everything in writing, and consider legal advice for a larger loss or a refused claim.
If someone is hurt. GOV.UK says that if you've been injured because of a hazard on a road or pavement in England or Wales, you may be able to claim compensation from the local council. That page doesn't mention utility works, so report a trench hazard to both the company and the council straight away, and keep photos and medical records.
Damage inside your home, or to a pole or cable. Damage done while connecting your own home, such as a drilled wall or a dug-up front garden, is covered in the engineer damage guide linked above. For a leaning pole, a fallen cable or an open cabinet, see how to report a damaged pole, cable or cabinet.
Why another network may dig the same street
- Sharing exists, but isn't always used. Under its PIA (Physical Infrastructure Access) product, Openreach licenses rival builders to pull cable through its existing ducts or fix equipment to its poles, so a builder using them doesn't always need a trench of its own. Some do use it (Airband says it often puts its fibre in Openreach ducts), but others lay their own ducts, and that means new trenches.
- Competition. ISPreview's November 2025 report of Ofcom's Connected Nations figures describes a lot of urban overbuild (two networks covering the same homes) between full fibre networks and Virgin Media's cable network, and its altnet consolidation tracker cites overbuild as a pressure on smaller networks. See our guide to what an altnet is.
- Pressure to share more. ISPreview reported in September 2024 that the government had called on operators to share existing infrastructure by default.
The co-ordination code aims to avoid works on recently resurfaced streets and planned works soon after earlier works. After substantial works, a council can restrict further works in that street for a period, and notices of a proposed restriction must go to occupiers with a frontage onto that stretch, so read one if it arrives. Openreach alone says it applies for 300,000 street works permits a year and expects that to roughly double by 2030 (undated policy page, checked October 2026). If your street is being dug too often, tell the council's street works team: it co-ordinates works and sets permit conditions.
What the works mean for your broadband
Digging in your street often means a network is being built nearby, but built nearby isn't the same as available at your address. Run your own address through the steps in checking full fibre availability before you plan a switch.
When a new network goes live at your address, compare broadband deals at your postcode, or start with full fibre and fibre broadband deals. See also our guide to UK broadband providers and broadband deals by area. The deals come from a comparison partner and you order with the provider you pick; complaints about the digging still go to the network company and the council, as above.
Fibre street works FAQs
Do broadband companies need permission to dig up my pavement?
Not from you, if it's a public pavement or verge. Network companies with Electronic Communications Code status have street work rights to break up and open public highways. In England they must normally get a permit from the council, give advance notice and follow the council's conditions. If the route crosses private land, the landowner's agreement is usually needed instead.
Should I get a letter before fibre works start in my street?
Not necessarily. The legal notice under the New Roads and Street Works Act goes to the council. In England works must be published online, and for particularly impactful works the council decides whether letter drops or other notices are needed. Some builders write anyway: CityFibre says it hand-delivers a letter before construction starts (checked October 2026).
How can I find out who is digging in my street and for how long?
Read the information board on site, which should name the company, any principal contractor and an emergency number. In England you can also check your council's works register or a map site such as one.network, and Street Manager's open data lists the promoter, works category and planned dates. In Scotland use roadworksscotland.org; in Northern Ireland, nidirect.
Who do I report a sunken or uneven fibre trench to?
Report it to the company named on the works board or in the permit, and to your council's highways or street works team. In England the reinstatement standard says an edge more than 10mm out of level over more than 100mm needs remedial work, so a dated photo with a ruler is strong evidence.
Can I claim if broadband street works damage my property or car?
Start with the network company's damage process: Openreach takes reports by website chat or email, and CityFibre through its online chat. Street works law makes the company compensate councils, and pay repair costs for other utilities' equipment, without them having to prove negligence. It doesn't name householders, but it keeps any other liability the company has. Outcomes depend on the facts, so keep photos, quotes and everything in writing.
How long do they have to repair the pavement after digging?
Under the New Roads and Street Works Act the company must start reinstating as soon as reasonably practicable and finish with all reasonable dispatch. A temporary (interim) surface must be made permanent within 6 months. In England the permanent repair is guaranteed for two years (three for deep openings), and the company must put right any failure in that time.
Why is another company digging up the street when we already have full fibre?
Networks compete for the same homes. Openreach licenses rivals to use its ducts and poles, but not every builder does, so some lay new ducts of their own, and ISPreview reports a lot of urban overbuild. In England the council co-ordinates works and can restrict further digging for a period after major works, so raise repeat digging with its street works team.
