Source
Department for Transport — Local road maintenance ratings 2025 to 2026
amberOverall|amber Conditionamber Spendamber Best Practice
Norfolk: AMBER on Every Scorecard, No GREEN Anywhere
Norfolk County Council runs one of the longest road networks in England — 9,943.79km — and the DfT rated it AMBER on all four scorecards: overall, condition, spend and best practice. The council's own 2025 transparency report shows RED-rated roads at a five-year high in every road class, while half the network is condition-surveyed only once every four years.
5,025km
Of unclassified roads — surveyed once every four years
U roads make up just over half of Norfolk's network. The council surveys 25% of them each year, so any given U road waits four years between condition surveys.
What The Condition Data Shows
Five years of survey data from Norfolk's own transparency report — in 2024, RED-rated roads reached their highest level of the series in every single road class
A roads (819.68km — 8.2% of network): RED up 50% in a year
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4% | 34% | 62% |
| 2021 | 4% | 34% | 62% |
| 2022 | 4% | 36% | 60% |
| 2023 | 4% | 33% | 63% |
| 2024 | 6% | 30% | 64% |
After four flat years at 4%, RED-rated A roads jumped to 6% in 2024 — a 50% rise in a single year on the county's most heavily trafficked routes. That is roughly 49km of main road that the council's own indicator says "should be considered for maintenance".
B and C roads (4,072.50km — 41% of network): RED at a five-year high
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 6% | 31% | 64% |
| 2021 | 6% | 30% | 64% |
| 2022 | 6% | 29% | 66% |
| 2023 | 6% | 28% | 66% |
| 2024 | 7% | 26% | 67% |
RED rose to 7% in 2024 — the highest in the five-year series. On a 4,072.50km B/C network, that is roughly 285km of road flagged for maintenance by the council's own surveys.
Unclassified roads (5,025.83km — 50.5% of network): back to the 2020 peak
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 7% | 24% | 69% |
| 2021 | 6% | 23% | 71% |
| 2022 | 6% | 22% | 72% |
| 2023 | 6% | 23% | 71% |
| 2024 | 7% | 23% | 70% |
RED is back at 7% — matching the worst year of the series — on the road class that makes up half the county. That is roughly 352km of residential streets, estate roads and rural lanes flagged for maintenance.
Around 686km of RED Road — And Rising Everywhere
~49km
A roads in RED condition (6% of 819.68km)
~285km
B/C roads in RED condition (7% of 4,072.50km)
~352km
U roads in RED condition (7% of 5,025.83km)
In 2024, every road class in Norfolk hit its highest RED percentage of the five-year series. The council's own definition of RED: "should be considered for maintenance." The DfT's verdict on the whole programme: AMBER, on every scorecard.
The Four-Year Blind Spot
Norfolk's own report sets out exactly how often each road class is condition-surveyed — and for most of the network, the answer is once every four years
| Road class | Length | Survey cycle (council's own description) |
|---|---|---|
| A roads | 819.68km | Surveyed yearly in one direction — both directions covered every 2 years |
| B roads | 4,072.50km (combined) | Surveyed yearly in one direction — both directions covered every 2 years |
| C roads | 50% surveyed per year, one direction — both directions covered every 4 years | |
| U roads | 5,025.83km | 25% surveyed per year — all U roads surveyed over a four-year period |
Half The County, Once Every Four Years
Norfolk's report states it plainly: "We survey 25% of U roads each year. This means that all U roads will be surveyed over a four-year period." U roads are 5,025.83km — 50.5% of the entire network.
A pothole that forms on a U road the month after its survey can, in principle, wait nearly four years before the next network-level condition check. In between, the council is relying on routine safety inspections and public reports to find it.
C Roads: The Same Story
C roads — the rural routes that criss-cross a largely rural county — are only surveyed in both directions every four years. The council's own words: "This means all 'C' roads will have been surveyed in both directions every 4 years."
Norfolk is also switching survey methodology: SCANNER today, the new PAS 2161 national standard from 2026/27. As other councils' reports concede, methodology changes make before-and-after condition comparisons difficult.
Why This Matters For Section 58
To rely on the Section 58 defence under the Highways Act 1980, a council must show it had a reasonable system for knowing and maintaining the condition of the road that damaged your vehicle. For most of Norfolk's network, ask:
- • When was your road last condition-surveyed — this year, or three years ago?
- • If 7% of U roads were RED at the last survey, what was done about yours?
- • How does the council track deterioration on a road it measures once every four years?
- • With RED percentages rising in every class, was the inspection frequency increased anywhere?
A four-year survey cycle on half the network places enormous weight on reactive reporting. If the defect that damaged your vehicle had been reported before — by anyone — the council had actual notice, and the Section 58 defence starts to crumble.
37,415 Potholes in Five Years
Norfolk's own pothole counts swing sharply year to year — the council attributes the spikes to winter weather
| Year | Potholes filled | Change on previous year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 5,516 | — |
| 2021/22 | 8,244 | +49% |
| 2022/23 | 6,589 | −20% |
| 2023/24 | 9,246 | +40% |
| 2024/25 | 7,820 | −15% |
| Five-year total | 37,415 | — |
The Weather Admission
The report concedes that "Extreme weather conditions cause pothole numbers to increase and there is a need to repair or make safe." Translation: after freeze-thaw winters, defects form in surges — faster than any fixed survey cycle anticipates. The +49% and +40% spikes in the table are exactly that pattern. If you hit a pothole in winter or early spring, the question is how quickly the council's system caught up with the surge.
A Modest Count For A Huge Network
7,820 potholes filled in 2024/25 works out at under one repair per kilometre of road per year, on a network where the council's own surveys flag roughly 686km as RED. Compare councils with networks a third of the size repairing three times as many defects. Either Norfolk's roads produce remarkably few potholes — or fewer of them are being found and logged between four-yearly surveys.
The Spending Picture — And Why It's Still AMBER
Norfolk has outspent its DfT capital allocation in every one of the last five reported years
| Year | DfT capital allocation | Capital spend | Revenue spend | Preventative / reactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | £54.2m | £55.3m | £15.9m | 96.0% / 4.0% |
| 2021/22 | £38.6m | £45.9m | £16.6m | 93.3% / 6.7% |
| 2022/23 | £38.0m | £44.8m | £19.2m | 93.2% / 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | £44.9m | £49.3m | £19.2m | 93.3% / 6.7% |
| 2024/25 | £42.0m | £57.8m | £18.0m | 93.5% / 6.5% |
| 2025/26 (projected) | £56.1m | £60.8m | £21.3m | 95.7% / 4.3% |
Outspending The Allocation — Still AMBER on Spend
£57.8m
Capital spend 2024/25 — 38% above the £42.0m DfT allocation
4.3%
Projected share of spend on reactive maintenance in 2025/26
AMBER
The DfT's verdict on Norfolk's spend — despite the headline numbers
Norfolk spends above its allocation every year, and the DfT still rated its Spend scorecard AMBER. Whatever the reason, the lesson for claimants is simple: aggregate budget figures are not a Section 58 defence. The law asks what was done about your road.
4.26km of Resurfacing on a 9,944km Network
What "over 500km treated" actually means when you read the activity tables
| Treatment in 2024/25 | A roads | B roads | C roads | U roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface dressing | 42.93km | 24.86km | 224.98km | 181.79km |
| Resurfacing | 3.64km | 0.48km | 0.14km | 0km |
| Overlay | 1.30km | 1.76km | 0km | 0km |
| Reconstruction | 2.41km | 2.40km | 1.95km | 0.65km |
| In-situ recycling | 0km | 0.61km | 0.70km | 4.59km |
| Total treated | 57km | 30km | 228km | 187km |
94.5% Surface Dressing
Of the 502km treated in 2024/25, 474.56km — 94.5% — was surface dressing: a thin layer of bitumen and chippings that seals a road surface in reasonable condition. Conventional resurfacing totalled 4.26km county-wide, and not a single metre of it on the 5,025.83km unclassified network.
Surface dressing is legitimate, cost-effective asset management — the council's report is right about that. But it is a preventative seal, not a repair for roads already rated RED.
The Arithmetic Problem
Norfolk's own surveys flag roughly 686km of road as RED — "should be considered for maintenance". Structural treatments (resurfacing, overlay, reconstruction, recycling) covered about 20.6km in 2024/25.
At that rate, the RED backlog alone represents decades of structural work — and the 2024 condition data shows the backlog growing in every road class, not shrinking. Treated kilometres also covered just 5% of the network in total.
"Our surface dressing programme is designed to help roads last a lot longer without potholes appearing and means that less is spent on reactive maintenance."
— Norfolk County Council, Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
In The Council's Own Words
The transparency report contains several statements a claimant should know about
"Norfolk County Council manages a large road network with limited funding. Our strategy is to keep roads safe and serviceable in the most efficient way possible."
— Norfolk County Council, Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
"Although we take a 'prevention is better than cure' approach, some reactive maintenance is inevitable. Extreme weather conditions cause pothole numbers to increase and there is a need to repair or make safe."
— Norfolk County Council, Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
"We survey 25% of U roads each year. This means that all U roads will be surveyed over a four-year period."
— Norfolk County Council, Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
What These Admissions Mean
"Limited funding" plus a four-year survey cycle on half the network plus an admission that potholes surge with the weather — together, these define the gap a claim can live in. The council knows defects form in winter surges; its condition surveys cannot catch them on most roads for years at a time.
That places the weight of the Section 58 defence on routine safety inspections and public reports — both of which can be tested with evidence requests for your specific road.
One Careful Distinction
Norfolk's report mentions "Section 58" — but that is Section 58 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, which protects freshly resurfaced streets from being dug up by utilities for two years.
It is not the Section 58 defence under the Highways Act 1980 that the council will raise against your pothole claim. Don't confuse the two — and don't let a claims handler blur them either.
Claiming Against an All-AMBER Council
Honest assessment: Norfolk runs a coherent, well-documented preventative strategy — and the DfT still couldn't give it a single GREEN
What Works In The Council's Favour
- ✓ Capital spend above the DfT allocation in every reported year
- ✓ A documented whole-life-cost asset management strategy with defined road hierarchies
- ✓ A and B roads condition-surveyed every year
- ✓ A Future Highway Research Group peer review calling it "a highly performing, innovative service"
- ✓ Green percentages broadly stable or improving on B/C and U roads over five years
Expect a competent, paper-backed Section 58 defence. Generic template claims will struggle here.
What Works In Yours
- ✗ AMBER on all four DfT scorecards — no GREEN anywhere, including Best Practice
- ✗ RED-rated roads at a five-year high in every road class in 2024
- ✗ Half the network (5,025.83km of U roads) surveyed once every four years
- ✗ 4.26km of conventional resurfacing in 2024/25 — none on unclassified roads
- ✗ Admitted weather-driven pothole surges (+49% and +40% in single years)
- ✗ Reactive maintenance squeezed to a projected 4.3% of spend
The Winning Strategy Here Is The Survey Gap
Against a council whose paperwork is genuinely good, your claim turns on the specific defect and the specific road:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole (FixMyStreet, council reports) — actual notice beats any inspection schedule
- • The road's class — on a C or U road, the four-year survey cycle is your strongest structural argument
- • Photos showing size, depth and visible age (weathered edges, previous patching, standing water)
- • Timing — a winter or early-spring incident sits squarely in the weather-surge pattern the council itself describes
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Norfolk's own transparency data where it helps you.
Hit a Pothole in Norfolk?
A well-documented council demands a well-built claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY Claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No four-year survey-gap argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No road-class analysis
Professional Claim Pack
- ✅ All-AMBER DfT scorecard cited
- ✅ Four-year U-road survey cycle argued
- ✅ Five-year-high RED condition data documented
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Norfolk
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Norfolk is AMBER on all four DfT scorecards — what does that mean for my claim?
Norfolk received AMBER for Overall, Condition, Spend and Best Practice in the DfT's 2025/26 local road maintenance ratings — no GREEN anywhere. AMBER across the board means the DfT sees room for improvement in every area it measures. For your claim, the most relevant facts sit underneath the ratings: RED-rated roads hit a five-year high in every road class in 2024, and half the network is condition-surveyed only once every four years.
What if my pothole was on a C road or an unclassified road?
That is where Norfolk's survey regime is thinnest. The council's own report says it surveys 25% of U roads each year, so all U roads are surveyed over a four-year period — and C roads are only covered in both directions every four years. U roads alone are 5,025.83km, just over half the network. A defect on one of these roads can sit a long time between condition surveys, which makes prior reports and photographic evidence decisive.
Norfolk spends more than its DfT allocation — doesn't that sink my claim?
No. Norfolk's capital spend has exceeded its DfT allocation in each of the last five reported years, yet the DfT still rated its Spend scorecard AMBER. More importantly, Section 58 of the Highways Act 1980 is not a budget defence — the council must show the specific stretch of road that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and maintained. Aggregate spending does not answer that question.
Over 95% of Norfolk's spend is preventative — does that hurt my claim?
Not necessarily. The preventative-first approach means just 4.3-6.8% of spend goes on reactive repairs, and in 2024/25 the dominant treatment was surface dressing — 474.56km of it, against only 4.26km of conventional resurfacing across a 9,943.79km network. Surface dressing seals roads in fair condition; it does not rebuild roads already rated RED. With RED percentages at a five-year high in every class, the question for Section 58 is what was done about the roads the council's own data flags as needing maintenance.
How many potholes does Norfolk actually fix?
Norfolk's report records 37,415 potholes filled over five years: 5,516 in 2020/21, 8,244 in 2021/22, 6,589 in 2022/23, 9,246 in 2023/24 and 7,820 in 2024/25. The council says extreme weather drives the spikes. The fluctuating numbers — up 40% in 2023/24, down 15% the next year — support what the report itself acknowledges: pothole numbers surge after hard winters, faster than a fixed inspection cycle anticipates.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Norfolk County 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 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.