If you find yourself in need of a skip, unless you have a driveway, you may have to locate it on a public road or path. The requirements for this are described in section 139 (road traffic regulations act, 1984) of the 1980 Highways Act. Initially, you need to understand the guidelines for skip hire permits in your local council. Some councils want a permit to be applied for directly by you, but most require an application from the skip hire company. You could also call your local skip hire company to find out this information. Planning this in advance is advisable as some councils have charge if you require the permit sooner than 3 days of the application. If the skip is to be placed on the road then it must be positioned parallel or near to the edge of the road as possible. It also needs to be 15 metres or less from a junction, not causing an obstruction to access, other road users or pedestrians and not preventing water drainage or obscuring a manhole. A skip on a public highway is required to have road cones placed to guide traffic past them safely (these must be placed on the approach side). When weather conditions are bad or it is dark, the skip must have amber lights flashing. These should be placed against the skip or attached to every corner of it. If a skip is positioned on a public highway, you should place the lights between each one of the cones. Some skip hire companies will provide road cones but not all will so enquire with the company beforehand as it your responsibility, as the person hiring the skip, to abide by the council rules and ensure the regulations regarding cones and lights are adhered to. You also need to decide how long you are going to need the skip for, would you be able to complete your project in one day or will you need the skip over a period of days or even longer? Ensure that you are clear with the skip hire company about how long you are going to require the skip, as you do not want your skip being removed before you have finished your project. On the other hand, bear in mind that more days will usually cost you more money, so it may be more cost effective to get some help loading the waste to reduce the time you hire it for. Equally, if it is important the skip is removed from your property by a certain date, ensure that you get a clear commitment from the skip hire company about when they will remove it. To ensure that you get a good and reliable skip hire company it can pay to do some research, is there anyone in your street that has hired a skip recently? If there is you can ask them if they were satisfied with the service they received.
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