7,724 Pothole Repairs in 2023/24 as B&NES Admits "Holding the Decline"
Bath & North East Somerset Council maintains 1,102km of carriageways. The DfT rates the authority AMBER overall with a RED condition scorecard, GREEN spend and AMBER best practice. Its own transparency report records 7,724 pothole fills in 2023/24 — more than double the 3,759 in 2022/23 — while 23.96% of U-roads sit in RED condition. The council admits it is only "holding the decline of assets." Section 58 still turns on your specific defect.
Department for Transport scorecard: AMBER overall, RED on condition
Four separate ratings from the 2025/26 Local Road Maintenance Ratings — not a single headline figure
What AMBER overall with RED condition means
The Department for Transport rates B&NES among 125 amber-rated authorities in England for 2025/26. The RED condition scorecard reflects published network condition data; GREEN spend reflects projected capital investment above the DfT allocation; AMBER best practice reflects the council's maintenance programme against DfT benchmarks.
These ratings do not automatically mean your claim succeeds or fails. They are official context about network-level performance. Your claim still depends on evidence about the specific defect — photos, prior reports, inspection intervals and road class.
Source: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026
1,102km of roads — 597km unclassified
Network composition from B&NES Council's 2025 transparency report — where most pothole claims start
| Asset | Scale |
|---|---|
| Footways and cycleways | 886km |
| Off-road cycleways and shared paths | 39.1km |
| Drainage gullies, chambers and outfalls | ~35,600 |
| Bridges, culverts and structures | 443 (320 bridges/culverts, 123 footbridges) |
| Public rights of way | 953km |
"Based on current expenditure and network condition we are at a point where we are holding the decline of assets but with more preventative capital funding, we could be in a position to reverse some of the recent years trends and reduce the reactive workload."
— Bath & North East Somerset Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
What the published condition data shows
Gaist high-definition video surveys from 2021 — annual across the whole carriageway network
Methodology caveat: B&NES used SCANNER surveys until 2020, then moved to Gaist high-definition video assessments from 2021. The council does not state pre-2021 and post-2021 figures are directly comparable. For unclassified roads, only RED-condition percentages are published — not amber or green splits. U-road surveys are conducted annually "where it has been possible for the survey vehicle to gain access."
A roads (142.3km) — surveyed annually
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 (SCANNER) | 3.72% | 49.78% | 46.5% |
| 2022 | 4.57% | 54.22% | 41.21% |
| 2024 | 4.58% | 59.48% | 35.94% |
A-road amber condition rose from 49.78% in 2020 to 59.48% in 2024 — nearly two-thirds of principal routes now flagged as maintenance may be required soon. Green-rated A-roads fell from 46.5% to 35.94% over the same period.
B and C roads (362.6km) — surveyed annually
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 (SCANNER) | 16% | 58.69% | 25.31% |
| 2022 | 16.84% | 60.86% | 22.3% |
| 2024 | 17.14% | 59.63% | 23.23% |
Over three-quarters of B/C roads need maintenance now or soon — only 23.23% green-rated in 2024. At 17.14% RED, roughly 62km of secondary routes require urgent attention.
Unclassified roads (597.4km) — RED percentage only
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 25.16% | Not published | |
| 2022 | 24.67% | Not published | |
| 2024 | 23.96% | Not published | |
At 23.96% RED in 2024, roughly 143km of residential network requires maintenance the council classifies as urgent — yet amber and green splits are not published for U-roads, limiting what claimants can cite from network-level data alone.
Intervention rate vs need
The council aims to resurface or surface treat "around 2-3% of our total network length" annually. For 2025/26 it plans 18 miles of carriageway intervention — resurfacing plus surface dressing — against roughly 127 miles of roads already in RED condition across B/C and U classes.
With current levels of investment, the council states it has "been able to slow the deterioration of the roads" but that "to reverse the decline after many years of underfunding is a challenge, one faced by highway authorities across the country."
"The total number of potholes filled is not an indication of the overall condition of carriageways and footways. Preventative maintenance is aimed at reducing defects and therefore if more preventative maintenance is undertaken there are likely to be fewer potholes."
— Bath & North East Somerset Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
Rising pothole patch counts
Potholes filled by year — the council attributes the 2023/24 spike to the winter of 2022/23
| Year | Potholes filled | Change vs 2021/22 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 4,245 | — |
| 2021/22 | 3,579 | Baseline |
| 2022/23 | 3,759 | +5.0% |
| 2023/24 | 7,724 | +115.8% |
| 2024/25 | 6,445 | +80.1% |
| 2025/26 (projected) | 7,084 | +97.9% |
"The winter of 2022/23 saw a cycle of extremely cold nights followed by heavy rainfall, which resulted in a spike of potholes forming and needing repairs."
— Bath & North East Somerset Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
~21 patches per day at the 2023/24 peak
7,724 pothole repairs in 2023/24 works out to roughly 21 patches per day across 1,102km. The council apportions typically 10% of revenue expenditure on carriageway and footway assets to pothole filling — reactive work that continues alongside a projected 58% preventative share in 2025/26.
Following the money
GREEN spend scorecard — but the council still admits it is only "holding the decline"
| Year | DfT capital (£) | Capital spend (£) | Revenue spend (£) | Preventative | Reactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 (proj.) | 7,718,000 | 9,958,000 | 7,085,697 | 58% | 42% |
| 2024/25 | 6,957,920 | 8,957,920 | 6,864,095 | 57% | 43% |
| 2023/24 | 6,626,295 | 8,626,295 | 6,147,040 | 58% | 42% |
| 2022/23 | 5,834,343 | 7,834,343 | 6,770,509 | 54% | 46% |
| 2021/22 | 4,479,655 | 6,479,655 | 6,177,259 | 51% | 49% |
Why spend is GREEN
B&NES supplements DfT capital with local funding — a £2.24m top-up in 2025/26 (29% above the DfT allocation). Preventative maintenance share has risen from 51% to a projected 58%. The 2025/26 capital programme of £9.908m is described as the largest for a number of years.
Why claims still happen
Even with 58% preventative spend planned and £17.04m total highways budget, the council projects 7,084 pothole fills and admits it is "holding the decline." Aggregate investment does not prove every defect was caught within inspection intervals — especially on U-roads where only RED percentages are published.
Planned work 2025/26
What B&NES says it will deliver this financial year
"As a competent highway authority, we would like to be able to resurface all our carriageway and footway assets as they reach the end of their serviceable life, at which time the formation of potholes is most prevalent."
— Bath & North East Somerset Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
Claiming against an AMBER-rated unitary authority
Honest assessment: B&NES invests above its DfT allocation — but condition data and council admissions tell a mixed story
What works in the council's favour
- ✓ GREEN spend scorecard — capital above DfT allocation with 29% local top-up
- ✓ Preventative majority — 58% projected for 2025/26, up from 51% in 2021/22
- ✓ Full-network Gaist surveys annually from 2021
- ✓ Innovation: thermal road repair, Viafix cold-lay material, spray injection patching
- ✓ U-road RED condition slightly improved from 25.16% (2020) to 23.96% (2024)
Expect a prepared Section 58 defence citing investment levels and annual whole-network surveys.
What works in yours
- ✗ RED condition scorecard from the DfT for 2025/26
- ✗ Council admits "holding the decline of assets" — not reversing deterioration
- ✗ 23.96% of U-roads in RED; amber/green splits not published for residential roads
- ✗ 7,724 pothole fills in 2023/24 — more than double 2022/23
- ✗ Only ~2.6% of network receiving carriageway intervention in 2025/26
- ✗ A-road amber condition rising — 59.48% flagged for maintenance soon
Section 41 vs Section 58
Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, B&NES must maintain public highways. To defend a claim under Section 58, it must show a reasonable system for inspecting and repairing the specific defect — not just publish a GREEN spend scorecard or cite thermal repair innovation.
- • Was your road surveyed — and did the Gaist vehicle gain access to your street?
- • Did the defect meet intervention criteria during routine safety inspections?
- • Were there prior reports (FixMyStreet, fix.bathnes.gov.uk) giving actual notice?
- • Does photographic evidence show defect age beyond the inspection interval?
Fixtyer builds exactly this case: prior-report search, photo assessment, and citations from B&NES's own transparency data — including the RED condition scorecard and "holding the decline" admission — where it helps you.
Report a pothole to Bath & North East Somerset Council
Reporting a defect creates a record the council had notice. Do this before claiming — and tell us when you reported it so we can reference it in your pack. B&NES action potholes at least 40mm deep on carriageways.
Report a problem — fix.bathnes.gov.ukHit a pothole in Bath & North East Somerset?
A RED condition scorecard and "holding the decline" admission demand a precise claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No four-scorecard DfT breakdown
- • No "holding the decline" admission cited
- • No prior-report search
Professional claim pack
- ✅ RED condition scorecard documented
- ✅ 23.96% U-road RED condition cited
- ✅ 7,724 pothole fills in 2023/24 referenced
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to B&NES
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently asked questions
Does Bath & North East Somerset's AMBER overall rating guarantee my claim will succeed?
No. The Department for Transport rates the council AMBER overall for 2025/26, with a RED condition scorecard, GREEN spend and AMBER best practice. No rating guarantees success — Section 58 turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired. The scorecards provide official context about network-level maintenance; your photos, prior reports and road classification do the rest.
Why is the DfT condition scorecard RED when the council says it is slowing deterioration?
The DfT condition rating is a separate scorecard from the council's narrative. B&NES states that with current investment it has "been able to slow the deterioration of the roads" but is "holding the decline of assets" rather than reversing it. Published 2024 data shows 23.96% of U-roads in RED condition, 17.14% of B/C roads in RED, and 59.48% of A-roads in amber — meaning maintenance may be required soon on nearly two-thirds of principal routes.
What if my pothole was on a residential or unclassified road?
Unclassified roads make up 597.4km — 54% of B&NES's 1,102.3km carriageway network. The council publishes RED-condition percentages only for U-roads (23.96% in 2024); amber and green splits are not published for this class. Surveys use Gaist high-definition video from 2021, conducted annually "where it has been possible for the survey vehicle to gain access." Most pothole damage happens on these residential roads — claims still turn on safety inspections, prior reports and whether your defect met intervention thresholds.
B&NES has a GREEN spend rating — can I still claim?
Yes. The DfT Spend scorecard is GREEN because projected 2025/26 capital spend (£9.958m) exceeds the DfT allocation (£7.718m). Section 58 turns on whether the specific defect was reasonably inspected and repaired — not on aggregate spending. The council supplements DfT funding with local capital, yet still projects 7,084 pothole fills in 2025/26 while admitting it is only "holding the decline."
Pothole repairs more than doubled after 2022/23 — does that help my case?
It can provide context. The council filled 3,759 potholes in 2022/23 and 7,724 in 2023/24 — a 106% rise it attributes to the winter of 2022/23 with "extremely cold nights followed by heavy rainfall." It also states "the total number of potholes filled is not an indication of the overall condition of carriageways and footways." Rising reactive workload alongside a RED condition scorecard is evidence of ongoing defects forming — not proof your specific pothole was unavoidable.
The council switched from SCANNER to Gaist surveys in 2021 — can I compare condition over time?
Use caution. B&NES used SCANNER surveys until 2020, then moved to Gaist high-definition video assessments from 2021 allowing a full annual survey across the whole carriageway network. The council does not state the two methods are directly comparable. A-road amber condition rose from 49.78% in 2020 to 59.48% in 2024 under the new approach — but year-on-year trends within the Gaist era are more reliable than comparisons with pre-2021 SCANNER data.
How do I report a pothole to Bath & North East Somerset Council?
Report potholes and road surface damage via the council's FixMyStreet portal at fix.bathnes.gov.uk, or through bathnes.gov.uk/report-road-damage-or-obstructions. The council action potholes at least 40mm deep on carriageways. Prior reports of the same defect strengthen a claim by demonstrating the council had notice before your incident — Fixtyer searches for existing reports and attaches them to your claim pack.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Bath & North East Somerset Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.