Peterborough: 29% of Side Streets RED — One Quarter Surveyed a Year
Peterborough earns AMBER on all four DfT scorecards for 2025/26 — overall, condition, spend and best practice. Its own transparency data shows 29% of unclassified roads in RED condition at peak across 550km of cul-de-sacs and rural lanes, while the council inspects only around 25% of that network each year — even as it filled 5,252 potholes in 2023/24 alone.
What the condition data shows
Five years of SCANNER and CVI survey data from Peterborough City Council's own transparency report — main roads stable, side streets under strain
A-roads (122km — 13% of network): consistently strong
SCANNER surveys A-roads annually, including the slow lane on dual carriageways each year. Main routes are in good shape — but they are a small slice of the network motorists use daily.
B and C roads (259.4km — 28% of network): broadly stable, C-roads edging up
| Year | B roads — Red | C roads — Red | C roads — Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5% | 5% | 71% |
| 2021 | 4% | 4% | 74% |
| 2022 | 3% | 3% | 75% |
| 2023 | 4% | 4% | 73% |
| 2024 | 4% | 5% | 71% |
The council states B and C road condition "has maintained a constant condition" thanks to maintenance works. C-road RED share has ticked back up to 5% in 2024, with green-condition C-roads falling from 75% to 71% since 2022.
And the DfT still rates condition AMBER
Despite stable A-roads and broadly flat B-roads, the Department for Transport's 2025/26 condition scorecard for Peterborough is AMBER — not GREEN. The government's rating reflects the wider picture, including unclassified road deterioration that the council's own narrative acknowledges.
Good main-road data does not cancel out nearly 160km of RED U-roads at peak on a network where most motorists live, park and commute.
The 550km blind spot
59% of Peterborough's network is unclassified roads — and only a quarter is condition-surveyed each year
| Survey year | U-roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 23% |
| 2021 | 26% |
| 2022 | 29% |
| 2023 | 29% |
| 2024 | 22% |
The 25% rolling sample
Peterborough uses Course Visual Inspection (CVI) — a driven survey — for U-roads. Because of the length of the unclassified network, the council inspects around 25% of U-roads each year to produce the condition score. That implies a four-year cycle to cover the full estate, not annual network-wide knowledge.
The network consists of less-trafficked rural roads and cul-de-sacs across the city. If your pothole was on a residential street, ask whether that road was in the surveyed quarter for the year of your incident.
Deterioration, then a partial recovery
The council states U-road condition "has been deteriorating" before noting that 2024 survey results show an improvement to 22% RED. Even so, 22% still means roughly 121km of U-roads in the worst category — and the rolling survey means the headline percentage may not reflect the specific street where you were damaged.
From 2025/26, Peterborough plans to extend SCANNER surveys to unclassified roads — a methodology change that will alter how condition is reported, similar to the national shift to PAS 2161 from 2026/27.
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 Peterborough's unclassified network, ask:
- • Was your road in the 25% of U-roads surveyed in the year of your incident?
- • If 29% of U-roads were RED at peak, what was done about defects on your street?
- • How does a four-year rolling sample provide timely knowledge of potholes forming between inspections?
- • Does CVI driven inspection at road speed catch defects of the size and depth that damaged your vehicle?
A council cannot claim detailed network knowledge when it samples only a quarter of its residential roads each year — on routes where nearly one in three was RED at peak.
17,294 potholes in five years
Reactive repair volumes from Peterborough's own transparency report — including a spike in 2023/24
| Financial year | Potholes filled |
|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 2,603 |
| 2021/22 | 2,681 |
| 2022/23 | 3,305 |
| 2023/24 | 5,252 |
| 2024/25 | 3,453 |
| Five-year total | 17,294 |
~9 potholes a day, every day
Averaged over five years, Peterborough fills around nine potholes daily on a 931.4km network. The council anticipates around 3,500 repairs for 2025/26. A network producing defects at this rate is one where potholes routinely form between inspections — the scenario where prior reports and photographic evidence decide claims.
15km of preventative work in 2024/25
Against 17,294 reactive pothole fills over five years, the council carried out preventative maintenance on just over 15km of carriageway in 2024/25 — under 2% of the total road network. For 2025/26 it plans around 22km of carriageway improvement. Reactive volume outpaces structural renewal.
Spending: above allocation, but rated AMBER
Peterborough often spends beyond its DfT capital allocation — yet earns an AMBER spend scorecard for 2025/26
| Year | DfT capital allocation | Capital spend | Preventative share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 (projected) | £8,570,094 | £9,289,980 | 71% |
| 2024/25 | £6,285,000 | £11,241,063 | 75% |
| 2023/24 | £7,107,526 | £6,608,815 | 65% |
| 2022/23 | £5,740,000 | £6,799,837 | 65% |
| 2021/22 | £6,240,000 | £12,097,474 | 80% |
| 2020/21 | £7,126,000 | £13,080,919 | 81% |
"Previously we have been successful in receiving additional funding through Corporate Borrowing and this has been used to improve the condition of the roads out to the north and east of the city. Corporate Borrowing was also used to fund resurfacing elements of the Parkway network and a programme to improve the safety fencing across the city. This funding is not sustainable in the long term and so is not currently available."
— Peterborough City Council Local Highway Maintenance Transparency Report 2025/26
What the borrowing admission means
Peterborough used corporate borrowing to fund resurfacing on northern, eastern and Parkway routes — and credits it with helping maintain condition percentages. The council now states that funding is no longer available.
That is relevant context for claims on roads that benefited from borrowed investment: the council knew those routes needed capital intervention, funded them temporarily, and has not replaced that revenue stream.
Why spend is still AMBER
Despite projected 2025/26 capital spend of £9.29m against an £8.57m DfT allocation, the Department for Transport rates Peterborough's spend scorecard AMBER — not GREEN. Aggregate investment alone has not satisfied the government's benchmarks, and U-road condition deterioration underlines the gap between spend and outcomes on the roads most residents use.
The eastern network and alluvium soils
Peterborough's own explanation for accelerated deterioration on part of its network
"Within Peterborough the eastern road network lies on alluvium soils. These expand and contract significantly across seasons as they become saturated and then dry out. Recent years have seen the extent and frequency of this cycle, and the level of damage caused increase, presenting an increasing maintenance burden, largely due to climate change."
— Peterborough City Council Local Highway Maintenance Transparency Report 2025/26
What this admission means
The council documents that roads on alluvium soils in the east of the city face an intensifying damage cycle — and attributes the increased burden to climate change. That is documented knowledge of elevated risk on a defined geographic part of the network.
Knowledge of accelerated deterioration raises the standard for what a "reasonable" inspection regime looks like on affected routes under Section 58.
Questions worth asking
- • Was your incident on the eastern road network on alluvium soils?
- • Did the council increase inspection frequency on routes it knew were climate-vulnerable?
- • If damage cycles are intensifying, why was the specific defect not caught in time?
Claiming against an all-AMBER council
Honest assessment: no GREEN scorecard cushion — but a well-documented transparency report to work with
What works in the council's favour
- ✓ A-roads consistently at just 1% RED — SCANNER surveyed annually
- ✓ B-road condition broadly stable at 3–4% RED over five years
- ✓ Often spends above DfT capital allocation in recent years
- ✓ 65–81% of capital spend classed as preventative maintenance
- ✓ Documented asset management strategy aligned to UKRLG code of practice
Expect a structured Section 58 defence on A-roads and main B/C routes. Generic claims will struggle.
What works in yours
- ✗ AMBER on all four DfT scorecards — no pillar rated GREEN
- ✗ 29% of U-roads RED at peak across 550km of residential and rural routes
- ✗ Only 25% of U-roads condition-surveyed each year
- ✗ 17,294 pothole fills in five years — defects form between inspections
- ✗ Corporate borrowing that maintained condition is no longer available
- ✗ Climate-driven deterioration admitted on eastern alluvium-soil routes
The winning strategy here is specificity
Against a council with no GREEN scorecards, your claim still lives or dies on the specific defect — but Peterborough's transparency data gives you more angles than many authorities:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole (FixMyStreet, council online reports) — 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, the 25% rolling survey gap is your strongest structural argument
- • Location on the eastern alluvium-soil network if climate-driven deterioration is relevant
- • Timing relative to the 2022/23 peak of 29% RED U-road condition
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Peterborough City Council's own transparency data where it helps you.
Report a pothole in Peterborough
Reporting the defect creates a council record — useful evidence whether or not you claim
Council reporting channels
Peterborough City Council directs residents to its online reporting system for potholes. The highway asset management page links directly to a pothole-specific report form, and the wider "report it online" portal covers highways faults alongside other council services.
- Report a pothole online — dedicated pothole reporting form
- Report it online — highways and other council issues
- Highway asset management — pothole reporting guidance and transparency data
Why reporting matters for claims
A dated online report shows the council had notice of a defect before your incident — or that it left a known pothole unrepaired within a reasonable time. On U-roads where only 25% are condition-surveyed annually, resident reports may be the council's primary source of knowledge about a specific street.
Report first, photograph the defect with a reference object for scale, and keep your confirmation reference. If you later claim, that record strengthens a Section 41 argument.
Hit a pothole in Peterborough?
An all-AMBER council still owes a duty of care on the specific defect. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No U-road 25% survey-gap argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No alluvium-soil corridor analysis
Professional claim pack
- ✅ 29% U-road RED peak documented
- ✅ 25% rolling survey gap argued
- ✅ 17,294 pothole fills in five years cited
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Peterborough
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently asked questions
All four DfT scorecards are AMBER — what does that mean for my claim?
Peterborough earns AMBER on overall performance, condition, spend and best practice for 2025/26. That does not guarantee compensation, but it means the government has not rated any pillar of the council's highway maintenance as meeting top-tier benchmarks. Your claim still turns on Section 58 — whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired — but you are not facing a council with GREEN scorecards across the board.
What if my pothole was on a residential cul-de-sac or rural lane?
Unclassified roads make up 550km — 59% of Peterborough's 931.4km network. The council inspects only around 25% of U-roads each year using Course Visual Inspection (CVI), meaning any given side street may go four years between condition surveys. At peak, 29% of U-roads were in RED condition in both 2022 and 2023 — roughly 160km of residential and rural routes.
U-road RED condition fell from 29% to 22% — does that weaken my claim?
Not necessarily. The 22% figure is from 2024 survey data and the council itself states U-road condition "has been deteriorating" before noting the recent improvement. CVI covers only a quarter of the network annually, so year-on-year percentages reflect different road samples as much as genuine recovery. If your incident was in 2022 or 2023, the documented peak of 29% RED is the relevant published benchmark.
Does the ended corporate borrowing programme matter?
Yes, as context. Peterborough acknowledges that corporate borrowing previously funded resurfacing on northern and eastern routes and Parkway sections, helping maintain condition percentages — but states this funding "is not sustainable in the long term and so is not currently available." That is an admission that recent condition stability was partly financed by borrowing the council can no longer deploy.
Does the climate change and alluvium soils admission help my claim?
Potentially, if your incident was on Peterborough's eastern road network. The council states those roads lie on alluvium soils that expand and contract significantly across seasons, with damage frequency and extent increasing — "largely due to climate change." That documents elevated deterioration risk on a defined part of the network, which is relevant when assessing whether inspection intervals were reasonable.
Peterborough filled only 3,453 potholes in 2024/25 — are the roads fixed?
No. The 3,453 figure is a drop from 5,252 in 2023/24, but the council still estimates around 3,500 pothole repairs for 2025/26. Across five years it filled 17,294 potholes on a 931.4km network while carrying out preventative maintenance on just over 15km of carriageway in 2024/25 alone. Reactive repairs continue at scale.
How do I report a pothole to Peterborough City Council?
Use the council's online reporting system at report.peterborough.gov.uk, selecting the pothole category. Reporting creates a dated council record — useful evidence whether or not you pursue a claim, especially if the defect was reported before your incident and left unrepaired.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Peterborough City Council Local Highway Maintenance Transparency Report 2025/26 (published via Highway Asset Management, updated June 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.