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Skips on the highway terms and conditions

The following terms and conditions relate to skips on the highway.

Conditions of permit

Each skip shall be positioned so that it does not impede the surface water drainage of the highway, or obstruct access to any manhole, or the apparatus of any statutory undertaker or the council.

Where more than one skip is on the highway at any one time, the skips shall be positioned as closely as possible to each other. No skip should obstruct the access to any premises unless the consent of the occupier of these premises has been obtained.

No skip, when placed on the highway, shall contain any explosive, noxious or any other dangerous material which is likely to putrefy or which otherwise is, or is likely to become a nuisance to users of the highway. All material placed in a skip shall be correctly disposed of.

During use, the contents of the skip shall be kept ‘damped-down’ to prevent nuisance from dust, and spillage on the highway shall be immediately removed.

No skip shall partly or wholly obstruct a footway without our the express permission and is conditional upon the provision of a 1.5 metre wide pedestrian walkway. This walkway is to be cordoned off in accordance with chapter 8 of the Department of Transport's Traffic Sign Manual.

Skips must not be placed on any waiting restrictions

A skip shall be removed as soon as practicably possible once it has finished being used by the customer, and should not remain on the highway after its permit has expired.

The owner will require Public Liability Insurance to the value of £5 million, against any liability, loss or damage, claim or proceeding whatsoever arising under statute or common law in respect of placing a skip on the highway or its removal.

You must make an application for a skip permit, 5 working days prior to the intended placing of a skip on the highway. It is expected that a 3 day notice for any renewal is given.

It will be necessary to check the site location as to suitability before a permit is issued. Spot checks will be made to ensure compliance.

Should a skip be in a position on the public highway where payment is necessary for parking (for example in a pay-and-display zone), it is the responsibility of the owner of the skip to place any necessary monies with the relevant authorities, prior to placement of the skip on the highway.

No skip shall be placed in, on or along any part of a bus stop, bus route and or bus clearway. You must phone us on 03000 41 81 81, or email highwaylicences@kent.gov.uk if this is unavoidable before you apply.

It will be the responsibility of the skip owner to ensure that skips placed on the highway comply with the Highways Act 1980, in all respects. You attention is drawn to:

  • section 139(4) – Requires that the skip is lit during the hours of darkness, is clearly marked with the owners name, a 24hr contact number, and then removed as soon as practicable after it has been filled.
  • section 139(10) – No nuisance or danger shall be created by the placing of an authorised skip on the highway, nor will the authority be liable for any injury, damage or loss resulting from a authorised skip on the highway.
  • section 139(11) – States that a skip is a container designed to be placed on a road vehicle and deposited for the storage of builders’ materials, or for the removal and disposal of builders’ rubble, waste, household and other rubbish or earth. The term ‘owner’ in relation to a skip which is the subject of a hiring agreement, is the skip company, provided the agreed hiring period is less than one month.
  • section 140 – Empowers the highway authority or a constable in uniform to reposition or remove a skip that has previously been authorised by the authority. Any skip which is not collected by its owner may be disposed of.

This permit is being issued on the understanding that the skip is being used in conjunction with work at the premises named in the application and for no other purpose.

If any skip is found on the public highway without a valid permit, an inspection fee of £47.50 plus a retrospective permit fee of £29 will be incurred.

Skip specification requirements

The skip should comply with chapter 8 of the Department of Transport's Traffic Sign Manual, as well as the Builders Skips (Markings) Regulations Act 1984.

We draw your attention to the following requirements.

  • A skip should not exceed 5 metres in length, nor 2 metres in width.
  • Rear reflective end plates should comply with the British Standard Specifications: BS AU 152:1970.  
  • Each skip should be guarded by a line of at least 3 traffic cones on the approaching traffic side of the skip. These cones should be placed at an angle which joins the furthest wide edge of the skip with a point on the adjoining pavement 2.5 metres away from the skip edge.
  • The skip should be lit 30 minutes before sunset, until 30 minutes after sunrise.

Skip marking requirements

We draw your attention to the following marking requirements:

  • the width of each half of the marking shall not be less than 140 millimetres or more than 280 millimetres
  • the length of each half of the marking shall be not less than 350 millimetres nor more than 700 millimetres
  • the angle of each stripe shall be not less than 40 degrees to the vertical or more than 50 degrees to the vertical
  • each half of the marking shall have a minimum area of 980 square centimetres
  • the breadth of each stripe shall be not less than 133 millimetres nor more than 147 millimetres.