What rutting and spreading actually look like
Rutting shows as two shallow grooves running the length of the driveway, matching where the car's wheels sit. Spreading shows as gaps opening up between blocks, usually starting near a boundary, gate post or the edge nearest the road.
Both are symptoms of the same underlying problem: the paving is no longer locked together tightly enough to spread load sideways the way it's designed to.
Checking it yourself
Walk the perimeter and press down on the blocks nearest the edging with your foot. If they rock, or if the edging itself moves, that's your starting point — the edge restraint has failed or was never haunched in properly.
Look along the joint lines with the drive dry. Joints that are noticeably wider at one end than the other, or that form a visible curve rather than a straight line, confirm the field has crept.
- Rocking blocks at the perimeter: edge restraint has let go
- Widening joints spreading inward from one point: ongoing lateral creep
- Rutted wheel tracks with tight joints elsewhere: sub-base settlement, not spreading
- Sudden gap next to a manhole or drain: the fitting has moved, not the paving
Why it happens
The root cause is nearly always inadequate edge restraint — kerbs or edging laid without a concrete haunch behind them, or restraint that was fine for foot traffic but was never built for repeated vehicle loading.
A shallow or poorly compacted sub-base makes it worse, because blocks that are already sitting on a soft base have less resistance to being pushed sideways.
A proper repair versus a patch
A patch that just re-beds the loose blocks without dealing with the edging will move again within a season, because the thing holding the field together is still missing.
A proper repair lifts blocks back to sound, tight paving, rebuilds the edge restraint in concrete haunching against firm ground, re-checks the sub-base while it's exposed, and relays with a full course of edge courses cut to fit tightly before the field blocks go back down.
When to replace rather than repair
If spreading has affected most of the driveway rather than one edge, or the blocks are old, brittle and breaking as they're lifted, a full relay or replacement is often better value than repeatedly chasing localised repairs.
Frequently asked questions
Can spreading block paving be fixed without lifting everything?+
Often yes — if the movement is confined to one edge, we can rebuild that section and reset the field back into it. Widespread creep needs a fuller relay.
Will the same blocks be reused?+
Usually. Provided they're not badly worn or cracked, lifted blocks go straight back down, which keeps the repaired area matching the rest of the drive.
Is rutting a sign the base was done badly originally?+
Often, yes — either too shallow or not compacted in proper layers. It's one of the most common corners cut on budget installations.
How do I know if it's the edging or the sub-base?+
Rocking or gapping concentrated at the perimeter points to the edging; grooves running through the wheel tracks with tight joints elsewhere points to the base.
Does WM Driveways guarantee repair work?+
Yes, our repair and relay work is covered by the same 10-Year Guarantee as new installations.
Get a proper diagnosis, not just a patch
Send us a few photos of the affected area and we'll tell you honestly whether it needs an edge rebuild, a relay, or full replacement. No Deposit Needed to get started.