UK pothole index 2025

UK Pothole Index 2025 

Potholes are more than just a nuisance - they're a costly and dangerous reality for millions of UK drivers. It's estimated that, on average, there are six potholes per mile on council-controlled roads in England and Wales. In the first three months of 2025 alone, the RAC attended over 9,400 pothole-related breakdowns, with the average repair bill coming in at £460. Despite these figures, many drivers feel their local roads are being neglected, with one in four people (28%) saying potholes in their area are rarely or never fixed.

To understand the scale of the issue more clearly, the team at First Response Finance submitted Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to 41 County Councils across England and Wales, receiving 30 responses by August 2025. We've analysed the data to uncover which areas are most affected, which councils are investing the most in repairs, and where road conditions are improving... or deteriorating. 

Our UK pothole index 2025 offers a detailed look at the state of Britain's roads. Read on to discover the worst-hit regions, the biggest spenders, and what it all means for drivers.

Lincolnshire tops list of the worst roads in 2025

The first half of 2025 has already seen tens of thousands of potholes reported across the UK. Lincolnshire County Council leads the way, logging almost 30,000 potholes between January and June - making it the worst-hit area so far this year. 

These figures reflect the sheer scale of road damage in certain regions and the pressure councils face to keep up with repairs. 

In fact, some councils have consistently struggled with pothole management. In the last three years, Devon County Council has recorded the highest total, with over 160,000 potholes since 2022. 

Highest total number of potholes (2022 - 2025 to date): 

1. Devon County Council - 160,374 
2. Surrey County Council - 138,159 
3. West Sussex County Council - 128,196 
4. Oxfordshire County Council - 102,889 
5. Kent County Council - 85,627

Who's investing the most in their roads? 

While some councils are struggling, others are stepping up their investment. Essex County Council has the largest road repair budget in the UK for 2025/2026 at £72 million. 

Biggest budget (2025/2026) to fix road infrastructure: 

1. Essex County Council - £72 million 
2. Lincolnshire County Council - £65 million 
3. North Yorkshire County Council - £53.4 million 
4. Devon County Council - £8.8 million 
5. Surrey County Council - £6 million 

Impressively, they've already spent £43.3 million, or 60% of their annual budget, in the first half of the year. 

Most money spent on fixing potholes between January and June 2025: 

1. Essex County Council - £43,295,000 
2. Kent County Council - £6,621,822 
3. Hertfordshire County Council - £6,598,000 
4. Staffordshire County Council - £5,081,672 
5. Devon County Council - £4,795,922 

On the other end of the spectrum, Carmarthenshire County Council has the smallest budget at just £510,000, followed by Blaenau Gwent with £1 million, raising questions about how funding is allocated and whether some regions are being left behind.

Which area's roads are improving, and which are getting worse? 

Nevertheless, not all councils are seeing worsening conditions. A handful have managed to reduce their pothole numbers year on year between 2022 and June 2025: 

• Hertfordshire County Council - 38% reduction 
• Kent County Council - 88% reduction (though numbers spiked again in early 2025) 
• Lincolnshire County Council - 56% reduction (also spiked in 2025) 

However, several councils have seen a dramatic increase in potholes over the past three years, despite the top three having some of the biggest budgets for repairs: 

• Essex County Council - 162% increase 
• Devon County Council - 160% increase 
• North Yorkshire County Council - 101% increase 
• Rhondda - 100% increase 
• Torfaen - 108% increase 

While some councils are making progress, delays in repairs in some areas are staggering. For example, Stoke-on-Trent has the longest average time to fix individual potholes at 657 days, followed by Westminster (556 days) and Norfolk (482 days).

Our findings paint a mixed picture of road maintenance across the UK. While some councils are investing heavily and seeing improvements, others are falling behind, leaving drivers to deal with the consequences. 

Motoring expert at First Response Finance, Jonathan, comments:

"The numbers show how much of an issue potholes are within the UK. Over a quarter of Brits believe potholes in their area are never fixed, and the data backs this up. Only 10% of councils have shown consistent improvement, while 26% have seen pothole numbers rise year on year. 

"Maintaining roads isn't just about comfort, it's about safety. Poor road conditions can lead to tyre damage, suspension issues, and even accidents. In fact, 26% of drivers say they’ve had their vehicle damaged by a pothole at least once. That's why it’s vital for councils to prioritise infrastructure and for drivers to stay informed."

Sources and methodology: 

• FOI requests sent to 41 County Councils (30 responses received by August 2025) 
• Please note that: 

- Most Councils specified that their budget for road 'defects' are not split into categories (such as potholes) and budget is to cover all road and carriageway repairs, so can't split out the budget to fix potholes only 

- Some Councils have 'revenue' and 'capital' budget, the latter for bigger repairs, again this depends on the pothole/defect size and impact as to what budget it comes from. Where 'capital' and 'revenue' is split, both can be used to repair potholes, so the budget has been combined 

- Councils don't tend to log the number of potholes/defects in a uniform manner - some are logged by calendar year, and some are logged by financial year 

- In the same vein, Councils do not tend to log budgets in a uniform method - some have been shared for the calendar year and some for the financial year 

- A data comparison has been made in the fairest way, i.e. the average number of potholes over the last three years, total number of potholes over the last three years 

- Councils also 'log' the number of potholes by different methods - some which the Council and repair team have noted or actioned as a 'job', some are based on reports by the public. Where applicable, the number has been recorded as is, where both 'job' and 'reported', the number has been combined to get a total figure

Additional sources:

RAC - RAC Pothole Index - statistics and data for UK roads

Blackcircles - UK Pothole Report