Derbyshire County Council "on track to clear pothole backlog"

Derbyshire County Council says it is on track to clear its pothole backlog by mid-October, thanks to a major investment in road maintenance. 

In April, more than 16,000 potholes were waiting to be repaired across the county. They say that number is now expected to “fall below 3,000 by mid-October" bringing repair levels back to what the council describes as “typical” for this time of year. 

Since April, highways teams have repaired over 26,000 potholes, alongside other improvements such as surface dressing, resurfacing, and large patch repairs to tackle areas with widespread damage. 

Councillor Charlotte Hill, Cabinet Member for Potholes, Highways and Transport, said tackling the issue had been her “top priority” since taking on the role in May: 

“This achievement is the result of a team effort across the highways service” she said. “We’ve increased the number of pothole repair teams from 22 to 26 and completed over 6,800 large patches to address areas with multiple potholes. 

“While new potholes continue to be reported by the public and our inspectors, we’re now in a much stronger position to respond quickly and effectively. 

“We’re currently developing our improvement plan for the next financial year, which will be presented to the council’s cabinet in November.” 

Since April, Derbyshire County Council’s highways teams have carried out: 

• 26,187 pothole repairs (including backlog and new reports) 

• 2,370 other safety-related repairs 

• 2,194m² of road mender repairs 

• 65,097m² of resurfacing work 

• 6,864 large patches across 633 streets 

The council also reports a significant drop in pothole-related insurance claims, which are down nearly 72% compared to the same period last year — a sign, it says, that road conditions are improving.