What Are the Rules for Roadside Memorials in the UK?

Detailed Explanation

For the general picture of how roadside memorials work in different countries, including etiquette and why they get removed, see roadside memorials: rules, etiquette, and how long they can stay. This page covers the UK detail.

There's no UK-wide law that permits or bans roadside memorials. The road and its verges are managed by a highway authority, and each authority decides its own approach. For most roads, that's the county council or unitary council (the local authority for highways). Motorways and major trunk roads are managed separately: by National Highways in England, Transport Scotland in Scotland, and the Welsh Government in Wales. In Northern Ireland, roads are managed by the Department for Infrastructure.

The legal position in England and Wales

The Highways Act 1980 doesn't provide a licence or permit for roadside memorials. What it does give highway authorities is the power to deal with things left on the highway. Under section 149:

• If something left on the highway is a nuisance, the authority can ask the person who left it to remove it, and can apply to a magistrates' court for a removal order if they don't.
• If the authority has reasonable grounds to think something is a danger to road users, including by blocking visibility, and it needs removing without delay, it can remove it straight away.

In practice, councils rarely use formal powers against a family's tribute. They write a policy setting out what they'll accept and for how long, and follow it with as much sensitivity as they can. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own roads legislation, but councils there take a broadly similar policy-based approach. In Scotland, the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS) has published guidance on roadside memorials and floral tributes for local roads authorities.

How Council Policies Differ

Council policies vary a great deal, especially on how long a tribute can stay. Three examples, checked in September 2026, show the range:

Other councils fall somewhere in between. Because the rules change from one council to the next, and sometimes between a council road and a trunk road in the same area, it's worth asking the council's highways team what applies to the specific site.

The role of the police

Police family liaison officers are usually assigned to families after a fatal road collision, and many councils work through them rather than contacting families directly. In East Sussex, removal of tributes is co-ordinated by Sussex Police's road policing team, who tell the family the date so they can collect personal items before the verge is cleared. In Hertfordshire and Surrey, the family liaison officer helps with communication about removal and alternatives. If you have a family liaison officer, they're often the easiest person to ask about what the council allows.

Motorways and trunk roads

Memorials on motorways and fast trunk roads are rarely accepted. Stopping on a motorway is only allowed in an emergency, so there's no safe way to visit, and the verges are maintained by traffic management crews working close to fast traffic. If someone died on a motorway, a memorial at a nearby place with safe access, or away from the road altogether, is usually the realistic option.

Alternatives to a Roadside Memorial

Because most UK councils won't accept a permanent roadside memorial, families often look for something lasting elsewhere:

• A memorial bench or tree. Hertfordshire and East Sussex both mention benches or trees as possible alternatives, placed away from the highway. See how do you choose a memorial plaque or dedication bench and how do you plant a memorial tree.
• A memorial in a churchyard, cemetery, or garden of remembrance. These places have their own rules, but they're designed for lasting memorials in a way the roadside isn't.
• A place to remember them online. An online memorial doesn't depend on a council policy and gives people who can't visit the site somewhere to share photos and stories.

Things to Consider

• Ask the council before placing anything lasting. Their highways team can tell you the time limit and rules for that road, and whether any exceptions are possible.
• Anonymous tributes are more likely to be removed. Surrey's policy notes that tributes may be removed if the people who left them can't be identified. Letting the council or family liaison officer know who placed a memorial helps.
• The council may be balancing other people's feelings. Residents who live beside a crash site, and people who witnessed it, pass the tribute every day. Time limits often reflect those concerns as well as safety.
• Support is available for people bereaved by road crashes. RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, and Brake both offer support to bereaved families, and the Road Victims Trust supports people in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Samaritans (116 123) are available 24 hours a day.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming the rules are the same everywhere in the UK. A tribute that's fine for months in Surrey could be removed after a month in Hertfordshire.
• Putting up a permanent structure or sign. Almost every council policy rules this out on the highway, and it's the kind of memorial most likely to be removed without much notice.
• Leaving valuable or irreplaceable items. Photos, letters, and personal belongings can be damaged by weather or lost if the tribute is cleared. Keep originals safe and leave copies.
• Missing the chance to collect items. Where a council stores personal items after removal, it's usually only for a set period, such as 6 months in East Sussex. Ask how long they'll be kept.