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Fleet Operations & Compliance

Nearly five million potholes repaired since 2022

FOI requests were submitted to all 207 road-maintaining authorities to uncover the scale of Britain’s pothole problem from both a repair and reporting perspective.

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Almost five million potholes have been repaired across Great Britain since 2022, with over 3.3 million of these reported by drivers, according to research from cinch.

Freedom of Information (FOI) requests were submitted to all 207 road-maintaining authorities to uncover the scale of Britain’s pothole problem from both a repair and reporting perspective.

In total, 172 authorities responded, with the data revealing where the most repairs were carried out, and which areas saw the most reports from drivers.

Cinch said the findings suggested that Britain’s road network is deteriorating faster than maintenance budgets and resurfacing programmes can keep up with.

Councils have carried out a total of 4,952,744 pothole repairs since 2022, with annual figures increasing year on year as road conditions continue to deteriorate across Great Britain.

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In 2022, the councils repaired 1,110,893 potholes. Increasing in 2023 and 2024 to 1,408,436 and 1,514,325, respectively. With a decrease in 2025, only repairing 919,090 up to 30th September.

Cinch said that rather than indicating progress, the number of repairs highlighted the scale of the issue.

By the end of September 2025, councils completed 3,379 repairs per day on average, meaning the final annual figure for 2025 is estimated to have exceeded 1.23 million.

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The councils repairing the most potholes are Devon County Council, carrying out 191,272 repairs, Surrey County Council, with 182,595 repairs, and Scottish Borders Council, repairing 157,545 potholes.

Several of these authorities are responsible for thousands of miles of local roads, meaning small defects can escalate into larger maintenance challenges.

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The top 10 councils accounted for more than 1.3 million repairs since 2022 – nearly a quarter of all repairs recorded in the dataset.

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Despite councils carrying out millions of repairs, drivers are continuing to report large numbers of potholes each year as road conditions remain a daily challenge.

Drivers reported 746,829 potholes in 2022, 1,004,210 in 2023, and 975,860 in 2024.

By 30th September 2025, drivers reported an average of 2,170 potholes per day, totalling 590,430.

Devon County Council received the most reports at 167,401, with Northumberland County Council receiving 149,053, and Herefordshire County Council receiving 135,985.

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Ben Welham, motoring editor at cinch, said: “Our research suggests that drivers are feeling increasingly frustrated by the condition of our roads.

“Roads are breaking down faster than they can be repaired, and it’s affecting everyday journeys. Longer-term investment will be key to making driving smoother and safer for everyone.”

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