Not as a matter of course, no. The government's own guidance says that trailing a cable from your property across the pavement "may amount to a breach of Part IX of the Highways Act 1980". The pavement is highway, not your property, and you need the highway authority's consent to put anything across it.
You will find plenty of pages online saying there is no law against it. There is, and it is worth understanding before you get into a habit that is hard to undo.
Key points
- The pavement outside your house is highway. Placing a cable across it needs the council's consent.
- Section 178 of the Highways Act 1980 covers placing a cable across a highway without that consent.
- Councils use Section 162 to remove cable arrangements they judge unsafe.
- The sanctioned route is a cross-pavement channel, and a growing number of councils run schemes.
- If someone trips, you are exposed whatever the council has or has not said.
What the law actually says
Two sections of the Highways Act 1980 matter here.
Section 178 is the one people miss. In the government's words, "no person shall fix or place any overhead beam, rail, pipe, cable ... over, along or across a highway without the consent of the highway authority". A charging cable laid over the footway is a cable placed across a highway. Consent is the operative word, and most people never ask for it.
Section 162 is the one councils act on. Somerset Council puts it plainly: under the Highways Act 1980 it is an offence to place wires, cables or other apparatus across a highway where they may endanger the public. Salford City Council states that it may remove unsafe cable arrangements under Section 162, and that it does not condone trailing cables across pavements at all.
So the honest answer is not that it is banned everywhere, and not that it is fine. It is that you need permission, councils differ on whether they will give it, and several have decided they will not.
None of this is legal advice, and your council's position is the one that governs your street.
The route that is actually approved: cross-pavement channels
If you have no driveway, the sanctioned solution is a cross-pavement channel, sometimes called a gully. It is a narrow slot set flush into the footway that your cable drops into, so nothing sits proud of the surface for anyone to catch.
The government describes two forms: cable channels embedded in the pavement that temporarily house the cable, and permanent underground cables running to a removable connector or a bollard at the kerb. Both are installed under a formal permission, usually a Section 50 licence, with a written agreement setting out who maintains it and who is liable.
Councils including Salford, Slough and Somerset run schemes, and more are opening them. If yours does, that is the route to take, and where a channel is available the council will normally expect you to use it rather than trail a cable.
Start with your council's website and search for EV pavement channel or cross-pavement charging. If there is no scheme yet, ask. Demand is what gets these schemes funded.
What if there is no scheme on your street?
Then trailing a cable is not the workaround it looks like, and the practical options are these.
Charge away from home. Not the answer anyone wants, but there are now over 88,000 public charging devices across more than 45,000 UK locations, and a workplace charger or a weekly session at a supermarket covers a lot of ordinary mileage.
Check whether the cable can avoid the footway entirely. This is where cable length genuinely helps. A longer lead can often route down the side of a house, along a boundary or around a shared drive rather than across a public path. Our Type 2 to Type 2 cables run to 20m for exactly this reason. Measure the route the cable would actually take rather than the straight line.
Ask the council anyway. Some authorities will consider a written request, and some operate a permit with conditions attached. A refusal at least tells you where you stand.
Liability if someone trips
This is the part that catches people out. Whether or not the council has objected, if a pedestrian trips over your cable and is injured, you are the one who put it there.
A cable protector or a rubber ramp reduces the hazard and shows you took precautions, but it does not create a right to be there and it does not remove the risk. Wheelchair users, buggies, people with a visual impairment and older pedestrians are all poorly served by a ramp across a footway, however tidy it looks.
If you are charging on your own land and the cable never crosses public footway, tell your home insurer what you are doing anyway. It is a two minute call and it is worth having on record.
On your own driveway: sensible practice
None of the above applies to a cable that stays on your own property, which is most people. The habits worth keeping there are simple:
- Park so the charge flap faces the charge point, which usually removes the need to cross anything.
- Run the cable along a wall or a boundary rather than across the middle of the space.
- Unwind it fully before charging starts. A coiled cable cannot shed its heat, which is a separate problem we cover in our guide to retractable cable reels.
- Bring it in when you are not using it, rather than leaving it out in the weather and underfoot.
- Buy the length that reaches comfortably. A taut cable is a tripping cable and it strains the connector.
Frequently asked questions
Is it illegal to run an EV cable across the pavement?
It is not lawful by default. Government guidance says trailing a cable across the pavement may breach Part IX of the Highways Act 1980, and Section 178 requires the highway authority's consent to place a cable across a highway. Some councils permit it under conditions, some refuse outright, and some will remove it under Section 162.
Do I need permission from the council?
Yes, consent from the highway authority is what the Act requires. In practice that means checking your council's policy first. Where a cross-pavement channel scheme exists, that is the permission route, and it usually runs under a Section 50 licence with a written agreement.
Does a cable protector make it legal?
No. A protector reduces the trip hazard and shows you took precautions, which matters if there is ever a claim, but it does not give you consent to place a cable across a highway. It is a safety measure, not a permission.
What is a cross-pavement charging channel?
A slot set flush into the footway that the cable sits inside, so nothing stands proud for a pedestrian to catch. Councils including Salford, Slough and Somerset run schemes, and they are the approved way to charge at home without off-street parking.
Am I liable if someone trips over my charging cable?
If you placed it there and someone is injured, you are exposed. That is true whether or not the council has said anything, and it is the strongest practical reason to use a channel scheme or to route the cable so it never crosses a public path.
Would a longer cable help?
Often, yes. Extra length lets you route around a boundary or down the side of a house instead of straight across a footway. We stock up to 20m, and it is worth measuring the route the cable would really take before assuming the pavement is the only way.
Where we stand
We sell charging cables, so the commercially convenient answer would be that trailing one across the pavement is fine. It is not, and we would rather say so.
If length is what is stopping you charging at home, we can help with that. Our Type 2 to Type 2 cables go to 20m and our Type 2 to 3 Pin cables to 15m, all with a 2 year manufacturer's warranty and free next working day UK delivery. Call 01744 886 305 or use our contact form and we will work out what reaches from where you park.
