Source
Department for Transport — Local road maintenance ratings 2025 to 2026
amberOverall|amber Conditionamber Spendamber Best Practice
Lincolnshire: AMBER on Every Scorecard, 72,421 Potholes in a Year
Lincolnshire County Council manages one of the largest local road networks in England — 8,922km — and the DfT rated it AMBER on all four scorecards for 2025/26: overall, condition, spend and best practice. Not a single GREEN. Pothole repairs are up 44% in five years, preventative maintenance is estimated at just 9-13% of spending, and unclassified roads — 46% of the network — are condition-surveyed only once every four years.
72,421
Potholes filled in 2024/25 alone
Roughly 198 potholes every single day — a new record for the second year running, and up 44% on the 50,422 filled in 2020/21.
What The Condition Data Shows
Five years of survey data from Lincolnshire's own transparency report — A-roads holding but slipping, B and C roads stuck, and nearly a quarter of unclassified roads in RED
A-roads (1,090km — 12% of network): good, but slipping
3%
RED (2024)
up from 2% in every prior year
19%
Amber
broadly flat
78%
Green
down from 80% in 2022
Credit where due: Lincolnshire's A-roads are in better shape than the rural authority average, and the council says so. But 2024 is the first year RED has risen in this dataset — from 2% to 3% — and GREEN has fallen two points since 2022. The direction of travel just turned.
B and C roads (3,697km — 41% of network): five years of no improvement
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 6% | 26% | 68% |
| 2021 | 6% | 24% | 70% |
| 2022 | 6% | 23% | 71% |
| 2023 | 6% | 24% | 70% |
| 2024 | 6% | 23% | 71% |
RED-condition B and C roads have sat at 6% for five consecutive years — roughly 222km of road that "should be considered for maintenance" under the SCANNER definition, on the road class that makes up the biggest share of Lincolnshire's network. Five years of investment has not moved that needle at all.
Unclassified roads (4,134km — 46% of network): nearly a quarter in RED
| Year | Unclassified roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 28% |
| 2021 | 27% |
| 2022 | 26% |
| 2023 | 26% |
| 2024 | 23% |
Improving, yes — but 23% of 4,134km is still roughly 950km of unclassified road in RED condition. That is not far short of Lincolnshire's entire 1,090km A-road network, in the worst SCANNER category, on the rural lanes and residential streets where most drivers actually hit potholes.
And Spend Is AMBER Too
£44.3m
DfT capital allocation 2024/25
£83.3m
Actual capital spend 2024/25
9%
Estimated preventative share 2024/25
Lincolnshire spent nearly double its DfT allocation in 2024/25 — and the DfT still rated its Spend scorecard AMBER. Unlike GREEN-spend counties such as Buckinghamshire, which estimates over 80% of its spend as preventative, Lincolnshire's own report puts preventative maintenance at just 9-13% of spending in every year since 2020/21.
The Four-Year Survey Cycle
46% of the network is unclassified roads — and only a quarter of them are condition-surveyed each year
"CVI surveys are carried out on 25% of the Unclassified Network each year."
— Lincolnshire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report
What 25% a Year Actually Means
If only a quarter of the 4,134km unclassified network is condition-surveyed annually, any given unclassified road gets a Coarse Visual Inspection roughly once every four years. The condition data the council holds for your road could be up to four years out of date by the time you hit the pothole.
Compare the A-roads, where the report says SCANNER and CVI surveys cover the whole network "in a single direction each year". The roads in the best condition get annual surveys; the roads with 23% in RED get quadrennial ones.
The Scale of the Known Problem
At the 2024 survey, 23% of unclassified roads were in RED condition — approximately 950km. The council's own asset management strategy commits only to "gradually improve the condition of the unclassified road network" while maintaining "a steady state across all highway asset groups" elsewhere.
That is a documented, published acknowledgement that a large share of the network is in poor condition and the plan is gradual improvement — not elimination of the backlog.
Why This Matters For Section 58
To rely on the Section 58 defence, a council must show it had a reasonable system for knowing the condition of its roads and acting on it. For Lincolnshire's unclassified network, ask:
- • When was your road last condition-surveyed — this year, or three years ago?
- • If 23-28% of unclassified roads were RED at every survey since 2020, what was done about yours?
- • How does the council track deterioration on a road it inspects for condition once every four years?
- • Did the safety inspection regime for your road's hierarchy actually catch the defect that damaged you?
A council managing one of England's largest networks cannot claim detailed knowledge of roads it condition-surveys once every four years — while its own data shows nearly a quarter of them in the worst category.
327,165 Potholes in Five Years
The council's own estimates — and the trend is going the wrong way
| Year | Estimated potholes filled | Per day |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 50,422 | ~138 |
| 2021/22 | 67,143 | ~184 |
| 2022/23 | 66,909 | ~183 |
| 2023/24 | 70,270 | ~193 |
| 2024/25 | 72,421 | ~198 |
| Five-year total | 327,165 | ~179 |
Two Record Years in a Row
Pothole repairs are up 44% since 2020/21, and both 2023/24 and 2024/25 set new records. A network that needs 198 potholes filled every day is, by definition, a network where defects form faster than planned maintenance can prevent them — exactly the scenario where a pothole can open up, damage your vehicle and only then get repaired.
85% of Reactive Spend Goes on Potholes
The council's own report states: "Approximately 85% of reactive spend is allocated to pothole repairs." Reactive work is firefighting — fixing defects after they appear, often after they have been reported or have already caused damage. When the great majority of your reactive budget is potholes, potholes are your defining problem.
Where The Money Goes — And Why Spend Is AMBER
Big budgets, big overspend against allocation — and a preventative share the council itself estimates at 9-13%
| Year | DfT capital allocation | Capital spend | Revenue spend | Est. preventative | Est. reactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | £51.061m | £51.061m | £19.732m | 11% | 10% |
| 2021/22 | £38.973m | £51.273m | £19.732m | 12% | 10% |
| 2022/23 | £38.793m | £61.799m | £20.937m | 13% | 8% |
| 2023/24 | £45.607m | £71.767m | £30.677m | 11% | 10% |
| 2024/25 | £44.275m | £83.336m | £32.468m | 9% | 10% |
| 2025/26 (proj.) | £60.442m | £73.798m | £32.812m | 12% | 12% |
Preventative and reactive percentages are the council's own estimates as published; they do not sum to 100% of spending, with the remainder covering other highway activities.
The Preventative Gap
The report's own strategy section says Lincolnshire "prioritises a shift from reactive, short-term fixes to a more sustainable and cost-effective preventative maintenance approach" — yet in 2024/25 the estimated preventative share fell to 9%, its lowest in the published series.
The council adds that it is "actively working to increase the proportion of spend on preventative maintenance". That is a stated ambition, not an achievement — and the AMBER Spend scorecard reflects it.
Resurfacing Plans Are Shrinking
In 2024/25 the council delivered 240 carriageway resurfacing schemes covering 186.8km. For 2025/26 it plans 226 schemes covering just 120.2km — a cut of more than a third in resurfaced length, on a network where potholes hit a record 72,421 last year.
Surface dressing coverage is also planned to fall, from 280km delivered to 261km planned.
"Lincolnshire's principal road network is currently in better condition than the average for rural authorities. The condition of unclassified roads has also improved significantly in recent years."
— Lincolnshire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report
"The Lincolnshire Condition Indicator (LCI) consolidates data on claims, potholes, and public enquiries per kilometre to inform decision-making."
— Lincolnshire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report
The Council Tracks Claims Per Kilometre
That second quote matters more than it first appears. Lincolnshire's own decision-making tool explicitly consolidates damage claims, pothole reports and public enquiries per kilometre of road. In plain terms:
- • The council holds data on exactly where claims and pothole reports cluster
- • If your road already had a history of claims or reports, the council knew about it
- • Knowledge of a recurring problem that was not fixed is central to defeating Section 58
- • A subject access or FOI request for LCI data on your road can be revealing
When a council's own systems flag a kilometre of road as a claims hotspot, "we couldn't reasonably have known" becomes a very hard argument to run.
Claiming Against an All-AMBER Council
Honest assessment: Lincolnshire is a serious, data-driven highways authority — and its own data still helps you
What Works In The Council's Favour
- ✓ Spends well above its DfT allocation — £83.3m against £44.3m in 2024/25
- ✓ A-roads in better condition than the rural authority average, surveyed annually
- ✓ Unclassified RED improving — 28% down to 23% over five years
- ✓ Documented systems: CONFIRM asset management, LCI, risk-based inspections, AI-assisted surveys
- ✓ Big delivery: 240 resurfacing and 231 surface dressing schemes in 2024/25
Expect a professional, well-documented Section 58 defence. Generic template claims will struggle here.
What Works In Yours
- ✗ AMBER on all four DfT scorecards — no GREEN anywhere, unlike most comparable counties
- ✗ 72,421 potholes filled in 2024/25 — a record, up 44% in five years
- ✗ Preventative spend estimated at just 9-13% — the firefighting model, by the council's own numbers
- ✗ 23% of unclassified roads in RED — roughly 950km — surveyed only once every four years
- ✗ B/C roads stuck at 6% RED for five straight years
- ✗ 2025/26 resurfacing plans cut by over a third in length versus 2024/25 delivery
The Winning Strategy Here Is Specificity
Against a data-driven council, beat them with their own data. Your claim lives or dies on the specific defect:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole (FixMyStreet, council reports) — proof of actual notice
- • Photos showing the defect's size, depth and visible age (weathered edges, previous patching)
- • The road's class — on an unclassified road, the four-year survey cycle is your strongest structural argument
- • The LCI angle — request the claims and enquiry history the council holds for your road
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Lincolnshire's own transparency data where it helps you.
Hit a Pothole in Lincolnshire?
One of England's largest networks demands a properly built claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY Claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No four-year survey-cycle argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No LCI claims-history angle
Professional Claim Pack
- ✅ All-AMBER DfT scorecards cited
- ✅ 327,165 potholes in five years documented
- ✅ Four-year unclassified survey gap argued
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Lincolnshire
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lincolnshire is AMBER on every DfT scorecard — what does that mean for my claim?
The Department for Transport rated Lincolnshire AMBER for overall performance, road condition, spending and best practice in 2025/26 — with no GREEN anywhere. That does not win your claim by itself, but it is independent government evidence that the council's maintenance record is middling across the board. Combined with 72,421 potholes filled in 2024/25 and 23% of unclassified roads in RED condition, it gives you a documented backdrop against which to challenge any Section 58 defence.
What if my pothole was on an unclassified or rural road in Lincolnshire?
Unclassified roads make up 4,134km — 46% of Lincolnshire's network — and 23% of them were in RED condition at the 2024 survey, roughly 950km of road. The council's own report states that condition surveys "are carried out on 25% of the Unclassified Network each year", meaning any given unclassified road is condition-surveyed only once every four years. That survey gap is a structural weakness in any Section 58 defence on those roads.
Lincolnshire spends nearly double its DfT allocation — doesn't that defeat my claim?
No. In 2024/25 the council spent £83.3 million in capital against a £44.3 million DfT allocation, yet the DfT still rated its Spend scorecard AMBER — and the council's own estimates put preventative maintenance at just 9-13% of spending in every year since 2020/21. Section 58 turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired, not on aggregate budgets.
Does filling 72,421 potholes in a year show the council is on top of the problem?
It shows the opposite of a stable network. Pothole repairs have risen 44% in five years — from 50,422 in 2020/21 to 72,421 in 2024/25, with the last two years each setting a new record. That is roughly 198 potholes filled every single day. A network producing defects at that rate is one where new potholes routinely form between inspections — exactly the scenario where prior reports and photographic evidence decide claims.
What is the Lincolnshire Condition Indicator and why does it matter to my claim?
The Lincolnshire Condition Indicator (LCI) is the council's own decision-making tool, which it says "consolidates data on claims, potholes, and public enquiries per kilometre". In other words, Lincolnshire formally tracks where damage claims cluster and feeds that into maintenance priorities. If claims and pothole reports were already concentrated on your road, that is data the council held — and knowledge of a problem it did not fix is central to defeating a Section 58 defence.
Unclassified RED roads improved from 28% to 23% — does that weaken my claim?
Not meaningfully. Even after five years of improvement, almost a quarter of Lincolnshire's unclassified network was still in RED condition in 2024 — around 950km, not far short of the county's entire 1,090km A-road network. And because only a quarter of unclassified roads are surveyed each year, the figure for any individual road may be up to four years out of date.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Lincolnshire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report. 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 AMBER; 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.