THE council has launched a bid to clean a total of 86,650 grids at least once by next March.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Highways Service has now started its gully (grid) cleansing programme

Councillor Karen Shore, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, highways and strategic transport, said: “Gully, or grid, maintenance is an important part of our Highways Team’s work.

"Under each grid is a ‘gully pot’ which is designed to contain as much silt and detritus as possible, minimising the risk of blockages.

“Once the silt and detritus has been removed the gully pot is refilled with clean water to ensure the connection is flowing, the water level will remain at the height of the outlet pipe.

“Please help us keep our highway network running smoothly and report any problems with gullies/grids via our website or Report It app. Though please bear in mind, a clean, working gully will still always have some water in it.

“They are designed to so that silt is held within the main pot, this does mean that water will always be present below the outlet.

"A separate u-bend is generally incorporated into the structure of the pot to minimise the smell coming out from the main drain. Seeing water under a grid does not necessarily mean it is blocked.”

The team’s current schedule for gully cleansing can be found on the council's website