Source
Department for Transport — Local road maintenance ratings 2025 to 2026
amberOverall|amber Conditiongreen Spendamber Best Practice
St Helens: 75% of B/C Roads in Amber or RED
St Helens Borough Council spends every penny of its DfT capital allocation and earns a GREEN spend scorecard. Yet the overall rating is AMBER — because 75% of B and C roads are now amber or red, pothole repairs nearly tripled in three years, and the council itself warns that rising amber condition is “the highest risk” of rapid deterioration.
7,807
Potholes filled in five years
From 808 in 2020/21 to a peak of 2,369 in 2023/24 — while U-road RED condition climbed from 12% to 14% across St Helens's 733km network.
What The Condition Data Shows
Four years of AI-assisted video survey data from St Helens's own transparency report — classified roads slipping, residential RED condition edging up
Network size (733km total carriageway)
85km
A roads
41km
B roads
607km
C and U roads
20%
Classified share
The council notes that A, B and C roads make up the classified network carrying most journeys. The remaining unclassified roads are residential in nature — alongside C roads in the combined 607km figure. Footways add a further 1,158km; cycleways 86km.
A-roads (85km): declining green share
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | No data — COVID-19 | ||
| 2021 | 5% | 41% | 54% |
| 2022 | 5% | 46% | 49% |
| 2023 | 6% | 51% | 43% |
| 2024 | 6% | 53% | 41% |
A-road RED is broadly flat at 5–6%, but green roads have fallen from 54% to 41%. More than half of St Helens's main roads are now amber.
B and C roads: deteriorating
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8% | 60% | 32% |
| 2022 | 9% | 66% | 25% |
| 2023 | 11% | 69% | 20% |
| 2024 | 11% | 64% | 25% |
B/C roads in RED rose from 8% to 11%. Green roads halved from 32% to 20% before a partial recovery to 25%. In 2024, 75% of B and C roads were amber or red combined.
Fully Funded — But Only 0.2% of the Network Each Year
£8.236m
DfT capital allocation 2025/26
£8.236m
Projected capital spend 2025/26
34%
Projected reactive maintenance share
St Helens spends its full DfT allocation every year — capital spend has matched allocation exactly since 2020/21. Yet the council states funding is only sufficient to maintain 0.2% of the network each year. One-third of spend is still reactive, and approximately 14% of that reactive spend goes on pothole repairs alone.
Unclassified Roads: RED Only
U-road condition published as RED percentages only — no amber or green breakdown
| Year | U-roads in RED condition | Amber / Green |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | No data collected | COVID-19 |
| 2021 | 12% | Not published |
| 2022 | 13% | Not published |
| 2023 | 14% | Not published |
| 2024 | 14% | Not published |
The RED-Only Gap
St Helens publishes full red/amber/green breakdowns for A, B and C roads, but U-roads list only the RED percentage — even though the council conducts full-network video surveys annually.
At 14% RED, at least one in seven unclassified roads is officially flagged for maintenance. The council does not publish U-road length separately from C roads (607km combined), so a precise kilometre figure cannot be calculated from the report — but the percentage has risen every year since surveys resumed in 2021.
Annual AI Surveys
Since 2021, St Helens has conducted a full network video survey using vehicles with 360-degree high-definition cameras. The imagery identifies and records 35 types of road defect, interpreted by AI to produce condition scores.
From 2026/27, a new PAS 2161 methodology will replace the current three-category system. Surveys were not conducted in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Why This Matters For Section 58
Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, St Helens must maintain its roads. Section 58 lets it defend claims by proving reasonable inspection and repair systems. For St Helens, ask:
- • Was your road surveyed in the latest annual AI video assessment — and what category was it?
- • If 14% of U-roads are RED and 64% of B/C roads are amber, what planned works followed for your street?
- • The council admits amber is the highest risk of rapid decline — was your defect on an amber road left untreated?
- • With only 0.2% of the network maintainable per year, how does the council prioritise which defects get fixed?
Annual surveys mean the council cannot plead ignorance — only that it chose not to act on what it already knows.
7,807 Potholes in Five Years
Reactive repair volumes that nearly tripled — then stayed elevated
| Year | Potholes filled | Conventional resurfacing (km) | Preventative treatments (m²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 808 | 10 | 0 |
| 2021/22 | 912 | 8 | 0 |
| 2022/23 | 1,698 | 11 | 0 |
| 2023/24 | 2,369 | 6 | 7,000 |
| 2024/25 | 2,020 | 6 | 26,000 |
| Five-year total | 7,807 | — | — |
Nearly Triple in Three Years
Pothole repairs rose from 808 in 2020/21 to 2,369 in 2023/24 — a 193% increase in three years. Even after falling to 2,020 in 2024/25, the council projects circa 2,000 pothole repairs for 2025/26. Reactive volume and worsening survey data can coexist.
The Multihog Patch Cycle
Most road repairs are undertaken by the council's in-house team using a Multihog vehicle with a 400mm planer for permanent first-time fixing. The council states reactive maintenance “does not offer value for money” and that prevention is better than cure. Patching proves defects existed; it does not prove the network was proactively maintained.
The Council's Own Amber Warning
St Helens publicly identifies rising amber condition as the highest deterioration risk
“Further analysis of the road network by road class over the previous five years is showing a slight increase in 'red' condition, however, it is the high increase in the levels of 'amber' carriageway condition that indicate the highest risk and potential for more rapid deterioration into 'red'.”
— St Helens Borough Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
“Reactive maintenance does not offer value for money to residents, and the council believe that the overall quality and safety of the network will improve if a more preventative approach to maintenance is adopted. The funding received is only sufficient to maintain 0.2% of the network each year, therefore the council has adopted the principle that 'prevention is better than cure' in determining the balance between preventative, planned, and reactive maintenance activities.”
— St Helens Borough Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
“Every pound that we invest in preventative maintenance has the potential to save between six and ten pounds in rebuilding costs later.”
— St Helens Borough Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025
2025/26 Forward Plan
- • Conventional resurfacing: 17km (up from 6km in 2024/25)
- • Surface dressing (preventative): 4km
- • Footway maintenance: 7km
- • LED street lighting replacements: 1,159 units
- • Estimated pothole repairs: circa 2,000
What This Admission Means
St Helens formally acknowledges that amber roads represent the highest risk of rapid failure. The council also admits its funding can only maintain 0.2% of the 733km network annually — while 17km of planned resurfacing in 2025/26 is 2.3% of the network, still a fraction of roads in amber or red condition.
Spending: GREEN Scorecard, AMBER Best Practice
Capital spend matches DfT allocation exactly — preventative share still building
| Year | DfT capital (£,000s) | Capital spend (£,000s) | Revenue (£,000s) | Preventative | Planned | Reactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | £4,894 | £4,894 | £2,085 | 0% | 73% | 27% |
| 2021/22 | £2,984 | £2,984 | £2,063 | 0% | 77% | 23% |
| 2022/23 | £6,754 | £6,754 | £2,142 | 0% | 75% | 25% |
| 2023/24 | £7,919 | £7,919 | £1,988 | 12% | 58% | 30% |
| 2024/25 | £7,394 | £7,394 | £2,048 | 19% | 47% | 34% |
| 2025/26 (proj.) | £8,236 | £8,236 | £2,431 | 15% | 51% | 34% |
Claiming Against a GREEN-Spend AMBER Council
Honest assessment: St Helens invests its full allocation — here's how that changes your approach
What Works In The Council's Favour
- ✓ GREEN spend — capital spend matches DfT allocation every year
- ✓ Full-network AI video surveys conducted annually since 2021
- ✓ In-house Multihog repair team for permanent first-time fixes
- ✓ Preventative programme scaling up — 26,000m² surface dressing in 2024/25
- ✓ Documented highways infrastructure asset management strategy
Expect a structured Section 58 defence backed by annual survey data. Generic claims will struggle.
What Works In Yours
- ✗ AMBER condition — 75% of B/C roads amber or red in 2024
- ✗ Council admits amber is the highest deterioration risk
- ✗ U-road RED rose from 12% to 14% — amber/green not published
- ✗ 7,807 potholes filled in five years while condition worsened
- ✗ Funding maintains only 0.2% of network per year — council's own figure
- ✗ AMBER best practice — reactive share still 34%
The Winning Strategy Here Is Specificity
Against a council with GREEN spend and annual AI surveys, your claim lives or dies on the specific defect and the gap between known condition and action:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole (FixMyStreet, council online reports) — proof of actual notice
- • Photos showing defect size, depth and visible age (weathered edges, previous Multihog patching)
- • The road's class — B/C amber rates above 64% make classified-road deterioration hard to dispute
- • Whether planned works in the 2025/26 programme included your road
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites St Helens's own transparency data where it helps you.
Hit a Pothole in St Helens?
A council with annual AI surveys demands a precise claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY Claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No amber-risk admission cited
- • No prior-report search
- • No 0.2% maintenance-rate argument
Professional Claim Pack
- ✅ B/C road amber surge documented
- ✅ Council's own amber-risk warning cited
- ✅ 7,807 potholes in five years referenced
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to St Helens
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
St Helens matches its DfT capital allocation every year — can I still claim?
Yes. The DfT Spend scorecard is GREEN, but the ratings that matter for your claim are road condition (AMBER) and best practice (also AMBER). Section 58 turns on whether the specific defect that damaged your vehicle was reasonably inspected and repaired — not on whether capital spend equals the DfT allocation. St Helens's own condition data shows 75% of B and C roads in amber or red condition, and the council states that rising amber levels “indicate the highest risk and potential for more rapid deterioration into red.”
What if my pothole was on a residential or unclassified road?
Unclassified roads sit within a combined 607km C-and-U figure on a 733km network — but the council does not publish a separate U-road length. It publishes only RED-condition percentages for U-roads: 12% in 2021 rising to 14% in 2024, with no amber or green breakdown. That means at least one in seven unclassified roads is officially in RED (should be considered for maintenance), and the council cannot show from published data what share of the remainder is in amber (maintenance may be required soon).
Does the council admitting amber roads are the highest risk help my claim?
Yes. St Helens states that while red condition has increased slightly, “it is the high increase in the levels of 'amber' carriageway condition that indicate the highest risk and potential for more rapid deterioration into 'red'.” On B and C roads, amber rose from 60% to 69% between 2021 and 2023 before easing to 64% in 2024 — still nearly two-thirds of the classified local road network.
Pothole repairs peaked at 2,369 in 2023/24 — does that mean the roads are fixed?
No. St Helens filled 7,807 potholes over five years while U-road RED condition rose from 12% to 14% and B/C roads in green condition fell from 32% to 25%. The council projects circa 2,000 pothole repairs for 2025/26 and states that reactive maintenance “does not offer value for money” — acknowledging that patch-and-fill does not fix underlying deterioration.
St Helens surveys its network annually with AI video cameras — does that weaken my claim?
It strengthens the council's Section 58 paperwork, but the survey data itself creates pressure points. The council conducts full-network video surveys each year using 360-degree cameras and AI scoring — so it cannot claim ignorance of network condition. If your road was in amber or red at the last survey and no planned maintenance followed, that gap between known condition and action is exactly what a specific claim should target. Prior reports and photos of the individual defect remain decisive.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | St Helens Borough 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 GREEN; 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.