Source
Department for Transport — Local road maintenance ratings 2025 to 2026
amberOverall|amber Conditiongreen Spendamber Best Practice
7,055 Pothole Repairs in One Year — and a Quarter of Residential Roads Still RED
Harrow filled 7,055 potholes in 2024/25 alone — more than eight times the 831 repaired in 2020/21 — after launching London's first Pothole Pro scheme. The DfT rates spend GREEN, yet the overall scorecard is AMBER because 24–26% of unclassified roads have sat in RED condition at every comparable survey since 2021, and a new AI inspection method produces figures the council admits vary "significantly" from prior results.
11,609
Potholes filled across five years
From 831 in 2020/21 to 7,055 in 2024/25 — on a 457km network where 390km (85%) is unclassified residential road.
What The Condition Data Shows
Survey data from Harrow's own transparency report — calendar-year condition figures with gaps in 2020 and 2022
Harrow's network at a glance
43km
A-roads (9%)
24km
B and C roads (5%)
390km
U-roads (85%)
457km
Total carriageway
Plus 935km of footways, 50.25km of public rights of way and 64km of cycleways. The overwhelming majority of roads where pothole claims arise are unclassified residential streets.
A-roads (43km — 9% of network): mixed picture
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23% | 28% | 49% |
| 2023 | 26% | 21% | 53% |
| 2024 (DVI) | 22% | 21% | 57% |
| 2024 (AI survey) | 0.91% | 5.14% | 93.95% |
Under the established DVI methodology, A-road RED condition has barely moved (23% → 22%) while green roads improved from 49% to 57%. The AI survey paints a radically different picture — covered in detail below.
B and C roads (24km — 5% of network): persistently poor
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28% | 25% | 47% |
| 2023 | 27% | 20% | 53% |
| 2024 (DVI) | 25% | 25% | 50% |
On just 24km of B and C road, roughly a quarter has been in RED condition at every survey — and half the network needs maintenance or will soon. These are Harrow's Borough Principal Road Network routes, formerly supported by TfL funding that the council says has "significantly declined."
Heavy Spend, Stubborn Condition
£782k
DfT capital allocation 2025/26
£16.1m
Projected capital spend 2025/26
97%
Estimated preventative share
Harrow projects spending over twenty times its DfT allocation on highway maintenance in 2025/26 — with 97% classed as preventative. The DfT Spend scorecard is GREEN. Yet one in four residential roads remains in RED condition, and the overall rating is still AMBER.
The 390km Residential Network
85% of Harrow's carriageway is unclassified — where most pothole damage claims originate
| Year | U-roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020 | No survey (COVID) |
| 2021 | 26% |
| 2022 | Data unavailable |
| 2023 | 26% |
| 2024 | 24% (1.32% AI survey) |
~94km of Residential Road in Poor Condition
At 24–26% RED across three comparable survey years, roughly 94–101km of Harrow's 390km unclassified network requires structural maintenance. That is the equivalent of every residential street in a medium-sized town — in persistent poor condition.
Harrow states it "conducts an annual condition survey covering the entire highway network," yet published U-road data exists only for 2021, 2023 and 2024 — with gaps in 2020 and 2022.
Inspection Regime
Harrow's HIAMP states roads and footways are inspected 2–3 times annually, with public reports encouraged. For 2025/26, the council projects reactive repair of approximately 3,800 defects — subject to weather and network deterioration.
The gap between 3,800 projected reactive repairs and 7,055 potholes actually filled in 2024/25 tells you how many defects the network produces beyond the planned programme.
Why This Matters For Section 58
Under Section 58 of the Highways Act 1980, Harrow must show it had a reasonable system for inspecting and maintaining the specific road where your damage occurred. For residential streets, ask:
- • Was your road among the 24–26% in RED condition at the last survey?
- • When was it last condition-surveyed — 2021, 2023 or 2024?
- • Did the 2–3 annual safety inspections catch the defect before it damaged your vehicle?
- • Were there prior reports via Harrow's online reporting system?
A quarter of the residential network in poor condition is not a snapshot of neglect — it is a pattern repeated across three survey years.
11,609 Potholes in Five Years
The 2024/25 repair surge followed Pothole Pro and thermal technology — not a cured network
| Year | Potholes filled |
|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 831 |
| 2021/22 | 851 |
| 2022/23 | 1,150 |
| 2023/24 | 1,722 |
| 2024/25 | 7,055 |
| Five-year total | 11,609 |
"LB Harrow launched the 'Pothole Pro' project in May 2024. This initiative introduced advanced road repair machinery, making Harrow the first London borough to implement this technology. The project targets roads not included in the annual surfacing programme, but which require targeted repairs to prevent further deterioration of the network and to extend the lifespan of highway assets."
— Harrow Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
"The increased figure for 2024 reflects the Council's proactive and reactive approach to defect repairs, aimed at improving road safety and the overall condition of the network."
— Harrow Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
~19 Repairs Every Day in 2024/25
Seven thousand pothole repairs in a single year on 457km of road means defects are forming continuously — not occasionally. A network producing potholes at that rate is one where the gap between inspections and new defects is exactly what prior reports and photos must prove.
2025/26 Forward Plan
Harrow plans 65 carriageway resurfacing schemes (~15.4km), 38 footway renewals (~20km), Pothole Pro/thermal treatment across ~150 locations (~30,000 sq m), and approximately 3,800 reactive defect repairs. That is proactive — but it confirms thousands of defects are still expected annually.
The AI Survey That Changed the Numbers
Harrow's own admission that 2024 AI results vary "significantly" from prior inspections
"In 2024, Harrow trialled an AI-based survey method. As a result, the data submitted shows a significant variance compared to previous Detailed Visual Inspection (DVI) survey results. For the 2025/26 financial year, Harrow has commissioned both a DVI survey and an AI survey. Comparing these datasets will enable the team to identify methodological differences, validate the data, and support more informed decision-making."
— Harrow Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
| Road class | DVI RED (2024) | AI GREEN (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| A-roads | 22% RED / 57% green | 0.91% RED / 93.95% green |
| B and C roads | 25% RED / 50% green | 1.24% RED / 93.01% green |
| U-roads | 24% RED | 1.32% RED |
What This Means
The same network, surveyed two ways in the same year, produces RED rates of 22–25% under DVI and under 1.5% under AI. Harrow acknowledges this variance and is running both methods in 2025/26 to understand the gap.
For your claim, the DVI figures are the established baseline. If Harrow cites AI survey results in a Section 58 defence, the council's own report documents why those figures are not directly comparable.
Questions Worth Asking
- • Which survey methodology was used for the road where your damage occurred?
- • Was your road in the 22–25% DVI RED category at the 2024 survey?
- • Can the council produce DVI condition data, not just AI results, for your street?
TfL Funding Collapse and Utility Damage
The council's own explanation for pressure on principal routes — in its own words
"Funding from TfL—which traditionally supported the Borough Principal Road Network (BPRN)—has significantly declined. It is now limited to a competitive bidding process, with only a few boroughs selected and funding capped at £200,000 per borough. Given that these roads form a vital part of London's transport infrastructure and require higher resurfacing costs due to their specifications and multiple lanes, maintaining them has been challenging. Despite this, we have managed to uphold their condition effectively. In recent years, the borough has had no choice but to self-fund the maintenance of these key routes."
— Harrow Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
Ongoing Challenges Listed
Harrow's transparency report identifies structural pressures beyond budget:
- • Limited funding resources
- • Competitive TfL A-road bidding capped at £200k
- • Increasing traffic volumes and heavier vehicles (e.g. electric vehicles)
- • Weather-related deterioration
- • Premature failures caused by utility works
Section 58 on Principal Routes
Harrow issues Section 58 notices to utility companies before resurfacing works — coordinating streetworks to minimise premature surface failures. If your pothole formed after utility excavation on or near a BPRN route, the council's own admission of "premature failures caused by utility works" is relevant context for whether the defect should have been identified and repaired sooner.
Claiming Against a High-Spending AMBER Council
Honest assessment: Harrow invests heavily — here's how that changes your approach
What Works In The Council's Favour
- ✓ GREEN spend — projects £16.1m capital against £782k DfT allocation
- ✓ 97% preventative spend projected for 2025/26
- ✓ Pothole Pro innovation — first London borough to deploy the technology
- ✓ Documented HIAMP with 2–3 annual inspections and online reporting
- ✓ A-road green condition improving under DVI (49% → 57%)
Expect a well-resourced Section 58 defence. Generic "the roads are bad" claims will not succeed.
What Works In Yours
- ✗ AMBER condition — 24–26% of U-roads RED at every comparable survey
- ✗ B/C roads persistently 25–28% RED on the BPRN
- ✗ 11,609 potholes filled in five years — defects outpace inspection cycles
- ✗ AI survey variance — council admits DVI and AI results differ "significantly"
- ✗ TfL funding collapse and utility-work premature failures documented
- ✗ Condition data gaps in 2020 and 2022 despite claimed annual surveys
The Winning Strategy Here Is Specificity
Against a council with GREEN spend and Pothole Pro investment, your claim lives or dies on the specific defect:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole (FixMyStreet, Harrow's online reporting system) — proof of actual notice
- • Photos showing the defect's size, depth and visible age (weathered edges, previous patching)
- • The road's class — on a U-road, cite the persistent 24–26% RED condition rate
- • Whether utility works preceded the defect — Harrow lists this as a known failure mode
- • Request DVI survey data for your street, not AI figures the council itself says vary significantly
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Harrow's own transparency data where it helps you.
Hit a Pothole in Harrow?
A high-spending council demands a precise claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY Claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No U-road RED-rate argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No DVI vs AI survey challenge
Professional Claim Pack
- ✅ 24–26% U-road RED condition documented
- ✅ 11,609 pothole repairs in five years cited
- ✅ AI survey variance argued from council's own report
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Harrow
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Harrow spends twenty times its DfT capital allocation — can I still claim?
Yes. The DfT Spend scorecard is GREEN, but your claim turns on the specific defect, not aggregate spend. Harrow is AMBER overall because road condition remains mixed — 24–26% of unclassified roads have been in RED condition at every comparable survey since 2021, and B/C roads sit at 25–28% RED. Section 58 requires the council to show it reasonably knew about and addressed the defect that damaged your vehicle.
What if my pothole was on a residential or unclassified road?
Unclassified roads make up 390km — 85% of Harrow's 457km carriageway network. At every survey year with published data (2021, 2023 and 2024), roughly one in four U-roads was in RED condition: 26%, 26% and 24% respectively. That is over 90km of residential streets in poor condition at the last count.
Does Harrow's new AI survey showing 94% green A-roads weaken my claim?
It complicates the council's own narrative, not yours. Harrow trialled an AI-based survey in 2024 and the council itself states the data "shows a significant variance compared to previous Detailed Visual Inspection (DVI) survey results." Under DVI, A-roads were 57% green in 2024; under AI, 93.95% green. The two methodologies cannot be compared — and Harrow has commissioned both DVI and AI surveys for 2025/26 to identify the differences.
Does the jump to 7,055 pothole repairs in 2024/25 mean the roads are fixed?
No. The repair surge reflects new Pothole Pro and thermal repair technology launched from May 2024, not a network cured of defects. Harrow still projects approximately 3,800 reactive defect repairs for 2025/26, and 24% of U-roads remained in RED condition at the 2024 survey. A network producing thousands of potholes per year is one where defects routinely form between inspections.
Does Harrow's admission about TfL funding and utility works help my claim?
Potentially. Harrow acknowledges TfL funding for its Borough Principal Road Network "has significantly declined" to a competitive process capped at £200,000 per borough, forcing self-funding of key routes. It also lists "premature failures caused by utility works" among ongoing challenges. If your defect formed after streetworks or on a formerly TfL-funded route, that context strengthens arguments about known deterioration risks.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Harrow Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Reusable evidence record
Council rating evidence and provenance
Rating period: 2025-2026 · Reviewed 19 July 2026
Observed DfT fact
Overall AMBER; condition AMBER; spend GREEN; best practice AMBER.
Cautious interpretation
This is network-level context. The rating does not determine liability for a particular incident or establish what was known about a specific defect.
Correction status: No correction recorded.