Nottinghamshire: 416,380 Potholes in Five Years
Nottinghamshire County Council earns a GREEN spend scorecard and filled more than 416,000 potholes between 2020/21 and 2024/25 — around 228 every day. Yet the overall DfT rating is AMBER: 62% of the network is surveyed on a three-year cycle, RED-rated unclassified roads climbed from 25% to 35%, and the council's own report admits stale condition data risks "compromising safety".
The Pothole Conveyor Belt
Five years of the council's own "estimate of the number of potholes filled" — one of the largest repair volumes published by any English authority
| Year | Potholes filled | Average per day |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 95,752 | ~262 |
| 2021/22 | 100,834 | ~276 |
| 2022/23 | 80,752 | ~221 |
| 2023/24 | 62,288 | ~171 |
| 2024/25 | 76,754 | ~210 |
| Five-year total | 416,380 | ~228 |
What 416,380 Repairs Tells You
The council defines the figure as "the number of actionable defects repaired" — defects that crossed its own intervention thresholds. Averaged over five years, that is roughly 94 actionable defects per kilometre of road.
A network producing defects at this rate is, by definition, one where potholes routinely form between inspections — exactly the scenario where prior reports and dated photographs decide claims.
The Temporary Repair Admission
The council aims for "right first time" repairs, but concedes that "where network deterioration is significant in combination with severe weather... a temporary repair will be undertaken", to be "followed up by a permanent repair".
If the pothole that damaged your vehicle was a failed temporary patch, the repair history of that exact defect becomes central to your claim.
The 2024/25 Rebound
Pothole numbers fell from 100,834 (2021/22) to 62,288 (2023/24) — then climbed back to 76,754 in 2024/25, a 23% year-on-year rise. The council forecasts another 60,300 fills in 2025/26, while acknowledging "it is difficult to accurately determine the number of potholes to be repaired".
Even on the council's most optimistic forecast, Nottinghamshire expects to fill about 165 potholes a day this year. This is not a network that has been fixed — it is a network being continuously firefought.
What The Condition Data Shows
Five years of survey data from Nottinghamshire's own transparency report — every road class trending the wrong way until the measuring tool changed
A-roads (555km — 12.5% of network): slowly slipping
Main roads remain the best-kept part of the network, but the direction of travel is steady decline: RED has doubled and GREEN has fallen five points since 2020.
B and C roads (1,128km — 25.5% of network): RED tripled in 2024
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3% | 21% | 76% |
| 2021 | 3% | 21% | 76% |
| 2022 | 4% | 24% | 71% |
| 2023 | 4% | 24% | 71% |
| 2024* | 12% | 25% | 63% |
*2024 figures were "calculated using non-SCANNER technology" — the new AI video survey. When the camera replaced the laser, RED jumped from 4% to 12% and GREEN dropped eight points. More than a third of the B/C network now needs — or will soon need — maintenance.
And The Spend Scorecard Is GREEN
Nottinghamshire spent 82% more than its DfT allocation in 2024/25 and still filled 76,754 potholes that year. The chequebook is open — the network is deteriorating faster than the money can catch it.
The 2,744km Three-Year Blind Spot
62% of Nottinghamshire's network is unclassified — and surveyed one third at a time
| Year | Unclassified roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 25% |
| 2021 | 29% |
| 2022 | 31% |
| 2023 | 35% |
| 2024 | 20%* (new video capture system — not comparable) |
A Third of the Network Per Year
The council's traditional Coarse Visual Inspection "covers around a third of our unclassified network per year meaning that it takes 3 years to build a complete view of our unclassified carriageways' condition."
On the last fully comparable survey basis, 35% of unclassified roads were in RED condition — roughly 960km of residential streets, estate roads and village routes flagged as needing maintenance consideration. That RED share rose every single year from 2020 to 2023: 25%, 29%, 31%, 35%.
*The 20% Asterisk
The 2024 figure of 20% was "calculated using new video capture system" — the AI-based Vaisala Road AI tool — not the Coarse Visual Inspection used for every previous year in the table.
A fifteen-point improvement in a single year, coinciding exactly with a change of measuring tool, is not a recovery — it is a different ruler. The council is still running a parallel SCANNER survey in 2025/26 to work out how its old and new numbers relate.
The Council's Own Words On Stale Data
Nottinghamshire's transparency report includes an unusually candid list of the consequences of surveying unclassified roads on a three-year cycle. These are verbatim:
"Condition data may be up to three years old, this can limit our responsiveness to emerging issues and reduce the accuracy of whole-network condition assessments"
— Nottinghamshire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
"Delaying interventions may lead to minor defects developing into major defects increasing maintenance costs and compromising safety"
— Nottinghamshire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
"There is also the likelihood that some areas might deteriorate faster than anticipated between survey cycles, especially in high-traffic or weather-sensitive areas"
— Nottinghamshire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
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 Nottinghamshire's unclassified network — 62% of the county — ask:
- • When was your road last condition-surveyed — this year, last year, or three years ago?
- • If 35% of unclassified roads were RED at the last comparable survey, what was done about yours?
- • The council admits stale data risks "compromising safety" — how does that square with a defence of reasonable care?
- • Was your road in a "high-traffic or weather-sensitive" area the council itself flags as deteriorating faster than anticipated?
It is rare for a highway authority to put the weaknesses of its own survey regime in writing. Nottinghamshire has — and those admissions are fair material for any claim on an unclassified road.
Four Years of Firefighting
From 2020/21 to 2023/24 the council's own estimates show reactive maintenance taking a bigger share of spend than preventative maintenance — the pattern is only now reversing
| Year | DfT allocation | Capital spend | Preventative | Reactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | £24.6m | £24.5m | 17% | 26% |
| 2021/22 | £18.6m | £20.6m | 18% | 29% |
| 2022/23 | £18.6m | £22.3m | 18% | 39% |
| 2023/24 | £24.3m | £31.1m | 22% | 24% |
| 2024/25 | £21.0m | £38.2m | 32% | 14% |
| 2025/26 (projected) | £44.7m | £52.4m | 36% | 15% |
What The Pattern Shows
In 2022/23, an estimated 39% of spend went on reactive maintenance against just 18% preventative — more than two pounds spent patching for every pound spent preventing. The council says around 60% of all reactive repair funding goes on pothole repairs.
Years of firefighting are precisely what the condition tables record: unclassified RED rising every year and 416,380 potholes filled. The rebalancing towards prevention only began in 2024/25.
Why GREEN Spend Doesn't Block Your Claim
The DfT's GREEN spend scorecard reflects money committed — and Nottinghamshire genuinely commits it, spending £38.2m against a £21.0m allocation in 2024/25 plus an extra £37m of its own funds over five years.
But Section 58 is not about budgets. It asks whether the specific stretch of road that damaged your vehicle was inspected and maintained reasonably. Aggregate spend doesn't repair the pothole you hit.
The Measuring-Tool Problem
In 2024/25 Nottinghamshire swapped its laser survey for AI video — and the numbers moved sharply in both directions
"The results of the 2025/26 SCANNER survey will be compared with those from our video capture system. This will allow us to better understand the relationship between the outputs obtained from the two different surveying methodologies prior to the introduction of PAS2161 and - if necessary - normalise our 2024/25 results retrospectively."
— Nottinghamshire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report, June 2025
What Changed
Until 2023/24, classified roads were surveyed by SCANNER laser — one direction per year, so full coverage took two years. Unclassified roads got a visual inspection of one third of the network annually. From 2024/25, an AI video capture system (Vaisala Road AI) surveys 100% of the network every year.
Annual full-network coverage is a genuine improvement. But it means every 2024 condition figure on this page carries a footnote: "calculated using non-SCANNER technology".
The Contradiction
Under the new system, B/C roads got dramatically worse (RED tripled, 4% to 12%) while unclassified roads got dramatically better (RED fell 35% to 20%) — in the same year, measured by the same camera.
Either the old surveys understated B/C decay for years, or the new system is not yet calibrated. The council admits it may have to "normalise" its own 2024/25 results once the comparison survey reports. Until then, its condition records straddle two incompatible rulers.
How To Use This In A Claim
A Section 58 defence leans on condition records. In Nottinghamshire, those records are in transition:
- • Pre-2024 SCANNER data and post-2024 AI data cannot be directly compared — the council says so itself
- • If the council cites the improved 20% unclassified figure, the footnote says it came from a different methodology than every previous year
- • If the 12% B/C figure is accurate, more than one in ten B and C road kilometres should currently "be considered for maintenance"
- • Results may be retrospectively "normalised" — meaning today's published figures are provisional
A defence built on condition data the council itself may restate is a defence worth probing hard.
Claiming Against a Spend-Heavy AMBER Council
Honest assessment: Nottinghamshire is not neighbouring Derbyshire, the East Midlands' notorious RED council — here's how that changes your approach
What Works In The Council's Favour
- ✓ GREEN spend scorecard — £38.2m spent against a £21.0m allocation in 2024/25
- ✓ £37m of its own money added to highways over five years
- ✓ Documented inspection regime — the Highway Inspection and Risk Manual (HIRM) sets defect investigation levels
- ✓ Moving to annual full-network AI condition surveys, with 88.2km of carriageway resurfaced in 2024/25 — double the previous year
- ✓ LGA peer review commissioned and a Highways Improvement Plan delivered
Expect an organised Section 58 defence with inspection logs. Generic claims will struggle.
What Works In Yours
- ✗ 416,380 potholes filled in five years — defects form faster than inspections catch them
- ✗ AMBER condition and AMBER best practice — only spend is GREEN
- ✗ 62% of the network surveyed on a three-year cycle, with RED rising every year to 35%
- ✗ Written admission that stale condition data risks "compromising safety"
- ✗ Reactive spend share exceeded preventative for four straight years
- ✗ Condition records split across two incompatible survey methodologies, pending retrospective "normalisation"
The Winning Strategy Here Is Specificity
Against a council that spends heavily and documents its inspections, your claim lives or dies on the specific defect:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole (FixMyStreet, MyNotts app, council reports) — proof of actual notice
- • Photos showing the defect's size, depth and visible age — weathered edges, previous patching, failed temporary repairs
- • The road's class — on an unclassified road, the three-year survey cycle and the council's own stale-data admissions are your strongest structural arguments
- • Whether your road sits in a "high-traffic or weather-sensitive" area the council itself flags as deteriorating between surveys
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Nottinghamshire's own transparency data where it helps you.
Hit a Pothole in Nottinghamshire?
A council that fills 416,000 potholes keeps records — your claim needs to match them. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY Claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No three-year survey-cycle argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No methodology-change analysis
Professional Claim Pack
- ✅ 416,380 potholes in five years cited
- ✅ Three-year unclassified survey gap argued
- ✅ Council's own "compromising safety" admission quoted
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Nottinghamshire
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nottinghamshire filled over 416,000 potholes in five years — does that help my claim?
Yes. The council's own transparency report records 416,380 potholes filled between 2020/21 and 2024/25 — an average of around 228 every day, peaking at 100,834 in a single year. A network producing defects at that rate is one where potholes routinely form between inspections, which is exactly the scenario where prior reports and dated photographs decide claims.
What if my pothole was on an unclassified or residential road?
Unclassified roads make up 2,744km — 62% of Nottinghamshire's network — and have traditionally been condition-surveyed in thirds, so the council says "it takes 3 years to build a complete view" of their condition. RED-rated unclassified roads rose from 25% in 2020 to 35% in 2023. The council's own report concedes that condition data "may be up to three years old" and that delayed interventions risk "compromising safety".
Why did RED-rated B and C roads jump from 4% to 12% in 2024?
Because the measuring tool changed. The 2024 figures were "calculated using non-SCANNER technology" — a new AI video capture system — and Nottinghamshire has commissioned a 2025/26 SCANNER survey to compare the two methods and, in its own words, "if necessary - normalise our 2024/25 results retrospectively". Either the new system is revealing deterioration the old one missed, or the council's condition records are not comparable across years. Both readings give a Section 58 defence questions to answer.
Nottinghamshire's DfT Spend rating is GREEN — can I still claim?
Yes. Spend is only one scorecard: the overall rating is AMBER because Condition and Best Practice are both AMBER. For four consecutive years — 2020/21 to 2023/24 — the council's own figures show a higher estimated share of spend on reactive maintenance than preventative maintenance, peaking at 39% reactive against 18% preventative in 2022/23. Section 58 turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired, not on aggregate budgets.
Does the fall in RED unclassified roads from 35% to 20% weaken my claim?
No — it is not a comparable figure. The council's footnote states the 2024 number was "calculated using new video capture system", while the 25-35% figures came from Coarse Visual Inspection surveys covering a third of the network each year. A fifteen-point fall in a single year coincides exactly with a change of measuring tool, and the council itself is still working out how the two methodologies relate to each other.
Is Nottinghamshire rated as badly as neighbouring Derbyshire?
No. Derbyshire is one of the few councils rated RED overall by the DfT; Nottinghamshire is AMBER with a GREEN spend scorecard. Expect a more organised Section 58 defence from Nottinghamshire — which means your claim needs to be specific: prior reports of the same defect, dated photographs, the road's class, and the survey-cycle gap for unclassified roads.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Nottinghamshire County Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.