Potholes

Before reporting a road pothole, please read through the information below on pothole criteria.

If you believe the pothole meets the repair intervention level, you can report it quickly and easily online using our Highways Reporting Tool, choosing the problem type 'Pothole (road)'. 

You can also report footway potholes using our reporting tool choosing the ‘Pavements’ and ‘Pavement Defects’ problem category.

To meet our repair criteria, a road pothole needs to be at least 4cm deep and 20cm in width.

Road potholes of between 4 and 10cm deep and 20cm or more in width, will be repaired between 10 working days and 8 calendar weeks depending on the priority of the road. For example, 'A' roads will be within 10 working days, and minor roads and cul-de-sacs will usually be within 8 calendar weeks.

Larger potholes  (of over 10cm deep and 20cm or more in width) will be repaired between 2 working days and 20 working days depending on the priority of the road. For example, 'A' roads will likely be within 2 working days and minor roads and cul-de-sacs will usually be within 20 working days.

For any defect that does not need our minimum repair criteria, we will continue to monitor during routine safety inspections, in case the defect worsens. We will take appropriate action as required.

Our teams work all year round to maintain the network and work especially hard during the winter months to try and tackle the increasing demand.

Once we have identified a defect as requiring repair, and where it is safe to do so, we will mark the location using temporary road marking paint. This paint is used solely to assist our repair crews in locating and identifying defects that need attention. There is no requirement to highlight potholes in this way, and the markings are not intended as safety warnings for road users. The paint is temporary and will typically fade within a few weeks.

When we have marked a defect, the repair is being organised and so these do not need to be reported to us again.

Our response to repairing potholes will depend on several factors, including location, size and risk the pothole poses to public safety.

Some potholes will be made safe, by fixing with a temporary repair to remove the initial risk before completing a permanent repair, later.

All permanent repairs require accurate planning. This includes; sourcing materials, arranging a permit to work on the highway, the appropriate traffic management and timing that ensures the safety of the public and our workforce. Sometimes a road closure may be required to safely undertake the repairs. 

Other potholes that do not meet repair criteria are monitored as part of routine inspections, as the risk to public safety is not sufficient to merit remedial action.

If you spot a pothole that meets the above repair criteria, please do report it to us.