Almost one in three unclassified roads is now in RED condition
North East Lincolnshire earns a GREEN Spend scorecard and invests well beyond its DfT allocation. Yet the overall rating is AMBER — because CVI survey data shows unclassified RED condition rising from 17.6% to 31.82% in five years, on a 412.77km estate network the council itself says requires “strategic attention in the short to medium term,” while principal A-roads genuinely improve.
What the condition data shows
Five years of SCANNER and CVI data from North East Lincolnshire's own June 2025 transparency report — improving A-roads, flat B/C roads, deteriorating unclassified streets
A-roads (87.82km — 14.2% of network): improving
Credit where due: the council lists extensive A180, A1098 and A1136 resurfacing schemes, and SCANNER data confirms principal routes are genuinely improving. A-roads are just one-seventh of the network.
B and C roads (116.59km — 18.9% of network): mixed
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3.20% | 28.00% | 68.80% |
| 2021 | 3.55% | 32.65% | 63.81% |
| 2022 | 3.20% | 28.03% | 68.77% |
| 2023 | 3.0% | 25.5% | 75.5% |
| 2024 | 3.6% | 28.9% | 67.5% |
B/C RED has stayed near 3–3.6%, but amber climbed back to 28.9% and green fell to 67.5% — roughly one-third of local classified roads now need maintenance soon or imminently.
Well-funded, but U-roads still slip
In 2024/25 the council spent £10.799m in capital against a DfT allocation of just £2.972m — more than triple the formula grant — with 93% classed as preventative. The problem is not the chequebook on classified roads. It is the unclassified network where RED condition keeps climbing despite 10km of annual surface treatment.
The 412.77km unclassified deterioration
67% of the network surveyed by CVI — one-third each year, full cycle every three years
| Year | U-roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 17.60% |
| 2021 | 20.40% |
| 2022 | 21.75% |
| 2023 | 31.60% |
| 2024 | 31.82% |
The three-year CVI cycle
Unlike SCANNER-surveyed A and B/C roads, unclassified data is collected via Coarse Visual Inspection surveys covering one-third of the network annually — a full pass every three years. There is no DfT requirement to survey or report U-road condition at all; the council publishes this voluntarily.
At 31.82% RED, roughly 131km of residential and estate roads were in the should-be-maintained category at the last survey — on a network where the council itself notes the national average unclassified resurfacing interval is every 134 years.
The 2022 survey anomaly
CVI surveys in 2022 produced a “noticeable deterioration” the council found surprising: 11km deteriorated despite surface treatment the year before. Analysis with the surveying contractor “concluded with disagreement on the findings.”
The 2022 survey network is scheduled for CVI resurveying in 2025/26 with plans to compare findings. Until then, condition records on affected routes carry documented uncertainty.
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. For North East Lincolnshire's unclassified network, ask:
- • When was your road last CVI-surveyed — and was it in the 2022 cohort now being resurveyed?
- • If 31.82% of U-roads were RED at the last survey, what was done about yours between three-year passes?
- • Does a coarse visual inspection every three years meet the standard for estate streets with rising defect rates?
- • Can the council reconcile 11km of unexplained 2022 deterioration with its inspection records?
A council cannot claim detailed knowledge of a network it only CVI-surveys in thirds over three years — while its own data shows RED condition nearly doubling.
4,728 pothole repairs in five years
Defect records repaired on a 617km network — the council defines a pothole as 40mm deep and 300mm or greater in diameter
| Financial year | Defect records repaired |
|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 903 |
| 2021/22 | 872 |
| 2022/23 | 732 |
| 2023/24 | 1,243 |
| 2024/25 | 978 |
| Five-year total | 4,728 |
The 2023/24 spike
Repairs jumped 70% from 732 in 2022/23 to 1,243 in 2023/24 — the same period U-road RED condition leapt from 21.75% to 31.60%. The council projects 945 repairs for 2025/26 based on the five-year average, alongside 19.6km of planned resurfacing across 65 roads.
The counting caveat
The council's own footnote: a defect record “will include one or more potholes.” Figures cover defects found by highway inspectors during safety inspections and those reported by the public. The true number of individual potholes treated is therefore higher than the published totals.
| Financial year | DfT allocation | Capital spend | Revenue spend | Preventative | Reactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | £2,706k | £6,731k | £2,183k | 92% | 8% |
| 2021/22 | £2,338k | £6,511k | £2,117k | 92% | 8% |
| 2022/23 | £2,972k | £3,865k | £1,860k | 86% | 14% |
| 2023/24 | £2,491k | £7,331k | £2,245k | 91% | 9% |
| 2024/25 | £2,972k | £10,799k | £2,067k | 93% | 7% |
| 2025/26 projected | £4,127k | £7,250k | £2,149k | 90% | 10% |
Resurfacing follows the deterioration
Kilometres resurfaced by road class — unclassified roads absorb the bulk of treatment
| Year | A roads (km) | B roads (km) | C roads (km) | Unclassified (km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 6.60 | 1.90 | 0.30 | 13.50 |
| 2021/22 | 1.00 | 2.10 | 1.20 | 16.00 |
| 2022/23 | 4.03 | 0.23 | 0 | 15.89 |
| 2023/24 | 4.03 | 0.69 | 1.16 | 10.31 |
| 2024/25 | 3.70 | 0 | 1.14 | 7.87 |
| 2025/26 projected | 2.81 | 0.12 | 0.88 | 15.80 |
“Analysis of our local road condition data indicates that our unclassified road network is the portion of network that requires strategic attention in the short to medium term, as illustrated in figure 3.”
— North East Lincolnshire Council Highway Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
“The unclassified network makes up the largest percentage of the highway road network in North East Lincolnshire and CVI surveys undertaken in 2022 resulted in a noticeable deterioration in condition.”
— North East Lincolnshire Council Highway Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
What this admission means
The council formally identifies unclassified roads — not A-roads — as the priority for strategic maintenance. That is documented knowledge that two-thirds of the network is deteriorating faster than classified routes, despite annual surface treatment of approximately 10km on U-roads.
The 2025/26 Local Transport Plan includes Moody Lane reconstruction, large-scale pothole-fund patching on Victoria Street North and Middlethorpe Road, and surface treatments across dozens of Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Humberston estate streets.
Questions worth asking
- • Was your road on the 2025/26 LTP programme — or left to reactive repair only?
- • Did the council increase CVI frequency after RED hit 31.6% in 2023?
- • If 11km deteriorated despite prior treatment in 2022, why wasn't your defect caught?
- • Does thermal pothole patching address structural failure — or just the surface symptom?
Claiming against a well-funded AMBER council
Honest assessment: North East Lincolnshire invests seriously — here is how that changes your approach
What works in the council's favour
- ✓ GREEN spend scorecard — capital spend consistently exceeds DfT allocation
- ✓ 86–93% preventative maintenance share over five years
- ✓ A-road condition genuinely improving on SCANNER data
- ✓ Over 9,000 annual safety inspections and documented asset management under Well Managed Highway Infrastructure 2016
Expect a well-documented Section 58 defence on principal A-roads. Generic claims will struggle there.
What works in yours
- ✗ AMBER condition — U-road RED nearly doubled from 17.6% to 31.82%
- ✗ 67% of the network on a three-year CVI cycle, not continuous SCANNER monitoring
- ✗ Documented 2022 CVI disagreement — 11km deteriorated despite prior treatment
- ✗ 4,728 pothole repairs in five years — including a 1,243 peak in 2023/24
- ✗ Council's own admission that U-roads need “strategic attention” short to medium term
The winning strategy here is specificity
Against a council with GREEN spend and 90%+ preventative ratios, 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 class — on a U-road, the three-year CVI gap and 31.82% RED rate are your strongest structural arguments
- • Whether the defect meets the council's own 40mm/300mm pothole definition — or was a sub-threshold defect left unrepaired
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites North East Lincolnshire's own transparency data where it helps you.
Report a pothole to North East Lincolnshire Council
Reporting creates a record the council cannot ignore — Category 1 hazards should be made safe within 24 hours; Category 2 defects within 14–63 working days. Prior reports strengthen Section 58 rebuttals if you later claim for damage.
Report a pothole — Roads, footpaths and cycleways formHit a pothole in North East Lincolnshire?
A well-funded council demands a well-built claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No three-year CVI cycle argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No 2022 survey disagreement cited
Professional claim pack
- ✅ 31.82% U-road RED deterioration documented
- ✅ Three-year CVI survey gap argued
- ✅ 4,728 pothole repairs in five years cited
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to North East Lincolnshire
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently asked questions
North East Lincolnshire has a GREEN spend scorecard — can I still claim for pothole damage?
Yes. The DfT Spend scorecard is GREEN because projected 2025/26 capital spend of £7.25m exceeds the £4.127m DfT allocation, and 2024/25 capital spend reached £10.799m against £2.972m allocated. Section 58 turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired — not on aggregate spend. The overall and Condition scorecards are AMBER, and the council's own CVI data shows unclassified RED condition at 31.82% in 2024.
What if my pothole was on a residential or unclassified road in Grimsby or Cleethorpes?
Unclassified roads make up 412.77km — roughly 67% of North East Lincolnshire's 617km carriageway network. CVI surveys cover one-third of the network each year, with the full network captured over a three-year cycle. RED condition on U-roads rose from 17.60% in 2020 to 31.82% in 2024. Your claim should focus on when your road was last CVI-surveyed, prior reports, and whether a three-year survey cycle was reasonable for a defect of your pothole's size and age.
Does the 2022 CVI survey disagreement help my claim?
Potentially. The council reports that 11km of the 2022 CVI survey network deteriorated despite surface treatment the year before, and that analysis with the surveying contractor “concluded with disagreement on the findings.” The 2022 survey network is scheduled for CVI resurveying in 2025/26. That is documented uncertainty about condition data on the road type that makes up two-thirds of the borough — relevant when the council relies on Section 58 inspection records.
The council repaired 978 potholes in 2024/25 — does that mean the roads are fixed?
No. North East Lincolnshire repaired 978 defect records in 2024/25, down from a five-year peak of 1,243 in 2023/24, but still averaging 946 repairs annually over five years — 4,728 in total. Each record can include multiple potholes. The council itself estimates 945 repairs for 2025/26 based on that average, while projecting 19.6km of resurfacing. Reactive volume alongside rising U-road RED percentages suggests defects routinely form between surveys.
How quickly does North East Lincolnshire repair reported potholes?
The council's pothole guidance states Category 1 defects representing an immediate or imminent hazard are made safe or repaired within 24 hours. Category 2 defects are repaired between 14 and 63 working days depending on risk. The council delivers over 9,000 highway safety inspections annually. If you reported a defect before your incident and it was not repaired within these windows, that dated record strengthens a Section 41 argument.
A-roads are improving — does that block claims on classified roads?
Not automatically, but expectations differ by road class. A-road RED condition fell from 2.5% in 2020 to 1.94% in 2024, and the council credits extensive A-road resurfacing. B and C roads are less clear-cut: GREEN share fell from 68.80% in 2020 to 67.5% in 2024, with amber rising to 28.9%. Claims on classified roads still depend on whether your specific defect was inspected and repaired in time — but the strongest structural arguments sit on the deteriorating unclassified network the council itself prioritises for strategic attention.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | North East Lincolnshire Council Highway Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.