Five common faults and their fixes
- Sunken blocks. Lift the blocks, find out why the area sank, rebuild and compact the base, relay the bedding sand and put the same blocks back. Compact and re-sand the joints.
- Weeds in the joints. Clear the joints, refill with kiln-dried sand and keep the drive swept. A joint stabiliser can help on older paving.
- Potholes in tarmac. Cut the damaged area back to a square edge, clean it, apply a tack coat, fill with hot material and roll it in.
- Worn, stony tarmac. If the drive is still level and firm, lay a new surface course over the top after any patching.
- Puddles. Restore the fall, clear or add a channel drain, or take the water to a border or soakaway.
When a repair will not last
A repair relies on a sound base. These signs suggest the base has gone:
- Dips and ruts across most of the drive, not just one spot.
- Blocks or concrete sections that rock underfoot.
- Cracks that return soon after filling.
- Water lying everywhere after rain.
Thin 1960s and 1970s concrete or tarmac drives often show all four. Patching buys time, but a new drive built on a proper sub-base will usually be better value over the years.
Surface by surface
Block paving repairs well because the blocks can be reused. New replacement blocks rarely match faded originals exactly, so they will look fresher for a while. See block paving.
Tarmac can be patched or overlaid, but the finished level must stay at least 150mm below the damp-proof course. See tarmac driveways.
Gravel is topped up and re-raked, with a stabilising grid if it keeps rutting. Village drives in Wolviston and around Billingham Green often use gravel with sett edges, which can be re-set where they have moved. See gravel driveways.
Resin can be patched in small areas, though colours are hard to match and cracks usually start in the base. See resin driveways.
Drainage and planning
Water is behind a lot of failures. A drive that falls towards the house, or a channel drain full of silt, softens the base over time. Our front-garden drainage guide explains the options. Patch repairs do not need planning permission, but replacing a whole front drive is treated like a new one, so the 5m² rule for impermeable surfaces applies. In the village conservation areas, check before changing a frontage: see village conservation areas.
The kerb and footway
A damaged dropped kerb or footway outside your drive is part of the public highway. Report it to Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Any widening of the crossing needs the council's agreement, and only the council or a contractor with its Opening Up licence can do that work. See dropped kerbs.
Common questions
Can old block paving be cleaned up rather than replaced?
Often. Re-laying sunken areas, re-sanding joints and fixing the edges can make a tired drive sound and tidy again.
How long does a repair take?
A small re-lay or patch is often a day or less. Resurfacing a whole drive usually takes longer, depending on size and preparation.
Can tarmac be laid over an old concrete drive?
It can if the concrete is stable, but joints and cracks often show through within a few years.
Who looks after the verge crossing outside my house?
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, as highway authority.