Reporting a Problem in Farnham: Potholes, Streetlights, Fly-Tipping and Bins

Which council fixes what?

Farnham sits under two principal councils. Surrey County Council is the highway authority, so potholes, road surfaces, pavements, trees and hedges beside the road, and street lights are its job. Waverley Borough Council handles household bins, litter bins, park bins and fly-tipping. Reporting to the wrong one usually just delays things, so use the list below.

How do I report a pothole or other road problem?

Surrey's Report it online page lists potholes, worn or cracked road surfaces, trees, hedges, grass or weeds, and street lights and sign lighting under roads and pavements. It says most road and street problems go through its FixMyStreet/Tellus reporting platform. The same page lists other things you can report to Surrey, including rights of way problems (footpaths and bridleways), rogue traders and scams, and dog fouling. For an immediate danger to safety, the page directs you to Surrey's highways line rather than the online form. Picking a precise location on the map and describing the problem clearly helps whoever inspects it.

How do I report a faulty streetlight?

Surrey has a dedicated form. Its street light faults and repairs page asks for:

• the road name, which is needed to search on the map
• the street light column number, usually about two metres up and facing the road
• a description of the fault
• landmarks nearby, such as house names
• your contact details

The council publishes these timescales: repairing defective lighting is 6 working days on roads that are not high-speed and 15 working days on high-speed roads (50mph or more); installing a replacement column is 10 working days (non high-speed) or 15 (high-speed); a new power supply connection is 30 working days. You can follow progress with the "Track a fault" button next to the map, using your reference number or road name.

How do I report fly-tipping?

Waverley's report waste issues page has an online fly-tip report form; add photos if you can. The council aims to clear reported fly-tips within three working days, although it may take longer if the waste includes hazardous materials such as asbestos. The page also warns that if you hire someone to remove waste, they must be a licensed carrier, or you could face fines if your waste is dumped illegally.

What about missed bins and overflowing litter bins?

A missed household collection must be reported within three working days of your collection date, after checking your bin was out by 6am with the lid fully closed. Overflowing litter bins and park bins have separate online forms. Damaged bins are replaced through the "Order a new bin" service. See our bin collection guide for the full rules.

What about parking problems?

On-street parking and its enforcement are Surrey County Council's responsibility, according to Waverley's street parking page. Problems in a Waverley car park are reported to Waverley. See our parking guide.

Safeguarding and emergencies

Surrey's report page also lists child welfare concerns and adult abuse or neglect, which have their own safeguarding pages. For anything urgent, call 999 where life is at risk.

A note on council changes

Waverley's site says new websites are being developed for East and West Surrey councils ahead of an April 2027 launch, so reporting links may change. If a form stops working, start from the council's main website.