Plymouth may have one of the worst pothole problems in the entire UK according to analysis of Government data. Plymouth City Council is reported to have repaired the fewest roads in the country last year, topping a list with the Isle of Wight second.
Department for Transport (DfT) data shows that just one mile of roads were fixed in Plymouth in 2024, accounting for 0.7% of the 135 miles of carriageway that needed a repair. But the council has hit back and said the interpretation of the data is “misleading”.
The authority said the statistics do not reflect the true situation in the city. The council said it had carried out a lot of work during the past few years to improve Plymouth’s roads and a spokesperson said: “While there is always more to do, the proportion of our classified roads needing repair is relatively low compared to the national average.”
The council said the proportion of A roads needing a fix was at just 2%, compared to a 4% national average. It said 3% of B and C roads need repairing compared to the national average of 7%.
“As a result, fewer defects are reported to us that reach the investigation stage,” the spokesperson said. “The statistics reflect a significant change in approach. We now carry out prep work in the early part of the year and then complete surface dressing in the summer, which is in the next financial year.”
The council said it carried out 2,155sq m of pre-patching/prep work but could not include this work in the figures sent to the DfT. “This was caveated within the return but not recognised in the final report,” the spokesperson said.
A total of 7.32km of surface dressing works were completed in 2024/2025; 6.76km on C roads and 0.56km on U roads.
The council has also been trialling the Velocity machine, which carries out permanent, durable repairs at a fraction of the cost with no excavation, no waste and no heat involved. It means that often there is no need for road closures and repairs are ready to drive on in minutes.
Two machines carried out more than 8,000 repairs for the same cost as 1,200 traditional repair techniques. The spokesperson said: “This system of spray injection patching allows us to focus on preventing defects forming.”
The Labour-led council said its highway budgets were reduced in 2023/24 under the previous Tory administration and the surface dressing process was increased to make the most efficient use of the budget compared to the traditional resurfacing works. The spokesperson said: “We continue to deliver this arrangement across Plymouth and see a reduction on both pot holes and surface degradation.”
Analysis of the DfT data showed Norfolk County Council was found to be among the best in the UK with 92% of the 225 miles identified for repair being fixed between 2023//24.
Previous analysis of Government figures has predicted that there are about 11.5million potholes peppering Britain’s roads with the Government and councils facing a multi-billion pound backlog. Motoring insurance experts at Allianz have previously said the amount paid out on pothole claims has almost tripled over the past five years with total costs up from £1m in 2019 to £2.8m since January last year.
The Labour Government has pledged £1.6bn to fix pothole-damaged routes across the country. Three-quarters of the bill is being handed to local authorities with the rest held back by the Government to distribute to councils showing proof of road repairs.
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