Pothole and road defects
Potholes are where the surface of a road or pavement has worn away due to weather and/or traffic, forming a dip in the surface. The council has allocated £830k to establish a network of dedicated pothole repair crews across the city. If you would like to report a road or pavement issue, you can do so via the portal below.
If you want to report another type of road or pavement issue like a cracked or uneven paving slabs, a missing or loose drain cover, or faded surface markings then visit our report a road or street problem webpage to report these to us.
Please do not endanger your own safety or the safety of others when obtaining this information.
If the pothole you are looking to report has white marking around the edges, this means we have already inspected it and work has been programmed for it to be repaired. If you wish to report several potholes, please complete a new form for each individual defect.
Before you fill in this form
You won't be able to save this form to complete later, so please allow yourself up to five minutes to fill in the form.
To report a pothole to us, you will need to tell us:
Details of the exact location of the pothole (like street names, nearby landmarks)
How deep the pothole is
If possible, a photo of the pothole to help us locate it
What happens next?
How quickly we repair them depends on how the pothole is categorised, taking into account:
- Location of the pothole
- Depth of the pothole
- Risk to pedestrians, cyclists and motorists
Our staff will need to visit the site to make an assessment, which we aim to complete within two weeks.
If we find that the defect is an emergency, we will make a temporary repair within 24 hours to make it safe, followed by a permanent repair, if required, at a later date.
The majority of reported potholes fall into the non-urgent category and will be programmed for repair within six months, although we will try if possible to repair within two months.
We also carry out regular inspections that monitor road condition, which takes into account the use, condition and level of deterioration of a road. Find out more about our planned maintenance programme.
This table shows the timescales for repairing a pothole, consistent with national good practice.
| Depth of pothole on a road | Depth of pothole on a pavement | Timescale for repair |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 4cm (e.g. a golf ball) | Less than 2cm | Monitored but will not be automatically repaired |
| Between 4 and 7.5cm (e.g. a tennis ball) | Between 2 and 4cm | Within 6 months |
| More than 7.5cm | More than 4cm | Within 24 hours |
Making an insurance claim against the council
If you experience damage, loss or harm to yourself or your belongings, you may be eligible to make a claim for compensation against the council.
Network North highway maintenance funding
At the end of 2023, the council received additional funding for the maintenance of highways from the Government’s Network North plan. You can find more information the Network North plan and how the funding is allocated on the Network North highway maintenance page.
