Wokingham: 2,817 pothole repairs in one year on 805km of road
Wokingham earns GREEN DfT scorecards for road condition and best practice on its classified network — yet the overall rating is AMBER because spend barely matches allocation. Meanwhile an estimated 2,817 potholes were filled in 2023/24, and RED readings on unclassified roads — 65% of the borough — have swung from 3% to 21% in a single year.
What the condition data shows
Five years of survey data from Wokingham Borough Council's June 2025 transparency report — stable classified roads, volatile unclassified readings
A-roads and A329(M) motorway (118.6km — 14.7% of network): flat
Wokingham is one of only a few authorities maintaining a motorway section — the A329(M) between Coppid Beech and Winnersh. A-roads and motorways are surveyed every year by SCANNER. Condition has barely moved: 3% RED, roughly one-fifth Amber, three-quarters Green across five years.
B and C roads (162.1km — 20.1% of network): stable Green majority
| Year | Red | Amber | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2% | 20% | 78% |
| 2021 | 4% | 23% | 74% |
| 2022 | 4% | 23% | 74% |
| 2023 | 3% | 24% | 73% |
| 2024 | 4% | 23% | 73% |
B and C roads are surveyed annually. Roughly three-quarters remain in Green condition — this is the data behind Wokingham's GREEN DfT Condition scorecard. Claims on classified roads face a stronger council defence, but 27% Amber plus 4% RED still means maintenance may be required on almost a third of the B/C network.
Why spend is AMBER despite extra borrowing
Carriageway capital spend in 2025/26 essentially matches the DfT grant — unlike authorities that spend well above allocation. The council supplements with circa £2.38m per year from additional capital borrowing for preventative treatments, but much of the wider £10.877m capital programme goes to bridges (£3.298m), drainage and other assets. Reactive maintenance rose to 28% of carriageway spend in 2024/25.
The 524.7km CVI blind spot
65% of Wokingham's carriageway network is unclassified — surveyed by a different method, on a two-year cycle, with only RED published
| Year | U-roads in RED condition |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 15% |
| 2021 | 3% |
| 2022 | 21% |
| 2023 | 8% |
| 2024 | 13% |
Coarse Visual Inspection, not SCANNER
Wokingham's report explains that SCANNER laser surveys are not appropriate for most U-roads — they may be narrow, have parked vehicles, or use block paving. Instead the council uses Coarse Visual Inspection (CVI) from a slow-moving vehicle, recording defect extent and position.
Half (50%) of the U-road network is surveyed by CVI each year, meaning each unclassified road is assessed every two years. Amber and Green categories are not reported for U-roads — only RED — so the published picture of residential-road condition is incomplete.
The 3% to 21% swing
RED U-road share fell from 15% to 3% between 2020 and 2021, then jumped to 21% in 2022 — before settling at 8% (2023) and 13% (2024). On a biennial CVI cycle covering half the network annually, these swings reflect sampling and methodology as much as physical change.
At 13% RED in 2024, roughly 68km of unclassified roads should be considered for maintenance. At the 2022 peak of 21%, that would be approximately 110km of residential and minor rural routes.
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 Wokingham's unclassified network, ask:
- • When was your road last CVI-surveyed — and was it in a year when that half of the network was covered?
- • If only RED is published, how did the council assess Amber-level defects that could become potholes?
- • Does the council's claim of annual safety inspections on every road match the biennial condition survey?
- • Can year-on-year RED swings from 3% to 21% support a defence that the council knew your road's condition?
A council cannot point to GREEN classified-road scorecards while two-thirds of its network is measured on a different ruler, on a two-year cycle, with only the worst tier published.
10,967 pothole repairs in five years
Estimated pothole fills from Wokingham's own transparency report — peaking after wet winters
| Year | Estimated pothole repairs | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 2,069 | — |
| 2021/22 | 2,449 | — |
| 2022/23 | 1,580 | Lowest year |
| 2023/24 | 2,817 | Five-year peak |
| 2024/25 | 2,052 | — |
| Five-year total | 10,967 | 2025/26 projected: ~2,000 |
~6 potholes a day, every day
Averaged over five years, Wokingham fills roughly six potholes per day on 805.4km of road. The council projects approximately 2,000 pothole repairs in 2025/26 alongside 4,440 other carriageway and footway defects. A network producing defects at this rate is one where potholes routinely form between inspections — exactly where prior reports and photographic evidence decide claims.
The counting caveat
Wokingham's footnote: figures are estimates based on minor works orders, some of which may repair more than one pothole but this is not always recorded. Most repairs are permanent, but when that is not possible the Highways Maintenance Management Plan allows a make-safe or temporary repair within emergency or urgent response times — repairs that can fail and recur.
The risk-based repair admission
Wokingham's own words on how it prioritises — and deprioritises — defect repairs
“Identification and timescale for defect repair follows a risk-based strategy which prioritises the worst defects for repair based on site factors. Incidents can or could still arise from low-risk defects, but the strategy acknowledges that from the outset.”
— Wokingham Borough Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025)
“We estimate we will fill approximately 2,000 potholes in 2025/26 alongside 4,440 other carriageway and footway defects.”
— Wokingham Borough Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025)
What this admission means
Wokingham formally acknowledges that its risk-based hierarchy means not every defect gets repaired — and that incidents can arise from defects classified as low-risk. The council states pothole severity depends on depth, surface area, safety of road users, and location and usage of the road.
If the pothole that damaged your vehicle was below the council's repair threshold at inspection but large enough to cause harm when you hit it, that gap between risk classification and actual harm is central to your claim.
Questions worth asking
- • Was your pothole classified as low-risk when inspected — and if so, on what date?
- • Had a prior report been logged before your incident, triggering a higher risk category?
- • Was a temporary or make-safe repair applied that subsequently failed?
- • Does the 28-day non-urgent response target mean your defect sat unrepaired for weeks?
Streetworks pressure and water damage
External factors Wokingham identifies as accelerating network deterioration
“Wokingham's road network faces high demand for street and road works, and our authority is committed to minimising disruption to residents, businesses, and road users through a robust programme of planning, coordination, and communication.”
— Wokingham Borough Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025)
“Wetter periods and extreme rainfall event frequencies coupled with reductions in other activities such as street cleansing means more than ever, we must focus on ensuring the cyclical programme of cleansing gullies and catchpits is effective.”
— Wokingham Borough Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025)
Utility works and reinstatements
The council revised its Highways & Transport team structure in 2023 to align streetworks management with traffic duties, extended its permit scheme across the full network, and uses One.Network for coordination. It states a priority is “minimising defects to our asset caused by works” — an admission that third-party works can damage the carriageway. If your pothole formed at a utility reinstatement, that is a distinct liability angle worth exploring.
Water ingress and freeze-thaw
Wokingham identifies wetter periods and extreme rainfall as factors requiring greater gully and catchpit cleansing, with analysis of tree-lined roads and lidar data to target problem sites. The council reintroduced crack sealing on the A329(M) in 2025/26 specifically because reactive repairs there are expensive due to traffic management — early intervention to prevent defects becoming longer-term problems.
Claiming against a GREEN-condition, AMBER-overall council
Honest assessment: Wokingham is better run than many authorities — here is how that changes your approach
What works in the council's favour
- ✓ GREEN condition scorecard — 73–78% of B/C roads in Green, A-roads stable at 3% RED
- ✓ GREEN best practice — asset management strategy aligned to Well-managed Highway Infrastructure
- ✓ APSE nominated best performer for highways and winter maintenance (2024)
- ✓ Supplementary £2.38m annual investment programme since 2019
- ✓ 190,000 m² surface dressing and 42,000 m² resurfacing planned for 2025/26
Expect a well-documented Section 58 defence on A-roads and B/C routes. Generic claims will struggle.
What works in yours
- ✗ AMBER overall and AMBER spend — carriageway capital barely matches DfT allocation
- ✗ 65% of network on biennial CVI survey with only RED published
- ✗ U-road RED swung from 3% to 21% — volatile published knowledge of residential roads
- ✗ 10,967 pothole fills in five years — defects form faster than prevention eliminates them
- ✗ Risk-based strategy admits incidents from low-risk defects; temporary repairs permitted
- ✗ Reactive maintenance at 28% of spend in 2024/25 — up from 19% in 2022/23
The winning strategy here is specificity
Against a council with GREEN condition and best-practice scorecards, your claim lives or dies on the specific defect:
- • Prior reports of the same pothole (FixMyStreet, council online form) — 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 biennial CVI gap and RED-only reporting are your strongest structural arguments
- • Whether a temporary repair was applied and failed before your incident
- • Proximity to recent streetworks visible on One.Network
Mac builds exactly this case: he searches for prior reports, assesses your photo evidence, and cites Wokingham's own transparency data where it helps you.
Report the pothole to Wokingham first
Wokingham's transparency report states that some defects are reported by residents and many are identified through annual safety inspections, with repair following a risk-based strategy. Reporting the defect through the council creates a dated record — useful evidence if the pothole was logged before your incident, or if the council failed to repair it within its 28-day non-urgent target or 2-hour urgent response.
Report a pothole to Wokingham Borough CouncilUse the online map for non-urgent potholes. For dangerous defects, call 0118 974 6000 (Mon–Fri 9am–5pm) or 0800 212 111 out of hours. Keep your reference number to track the fault.
Hit a pothole in Wokingham?
A well-run council demands a well-built claim. £35 for a professional claim pack.
DIY claim
- • Submit photos and invoices
- • Use generic template letter
- • No U-road CVI survey-gap argument
- • No prior-report search
- • No temporary-repair failure angle
Professional claim pack
- ✅ 524.7km U-road CVI gap documented
- ✅ 10,967 pothole fills in five years cited
- ✅ Risk-based repair admission argued
- ✅ Prior reports searched and attached
- ✅ Section 58 rebuttal tailored to Wokingham
No percentage fees. You keep 100% of any compensation.
Frequently asked questions
Wokingham has a GREEN condition scorecard — can I still claim?
Yes. The DfT Condition rating reflects classified-road SCANNER data, where A-roads have sat at 3% RED for five straight years and B/C roads at 73–78% Green. Your claim turns on the specific defect under Section 58, not a headline scorecard. On unclassified roads — 524.7km, 65% of the network — only RED is published under a different CVI survey, with readings swinging from 3% to 21% in consecutive years.
What if my pothole was on a residential or unclassified road?
U-roads make up 524.7km — roughly two-thirds of Wokingham's 805.4km carriageway network. The council surveys them by Coarse Visual Inspection, with half the network surveyed each year and each individual road assessed every two years. At the last five surveys, RED U-road share ranged from 3% (2021) to 21% (2022). Amber and Green categories are not reported for U-roads.
Why did U-road RED jump from 3% to 21% and back again?
Wokingham publishes only the RED percentage for unclassified roads, surveyed biennially by CVI rather than SCANNER. The figures are 15% (2020), 3% (2021), 21% (2022), 8% (2023) and 13% (2024). Because only half the U-road network is surveyed each year and the methodology differs from classified roads, year-on-year swings do not necessarily mean your street improved or collapsed — but they do show published knowledge of U-road condition is patchy.
Does Wokingham's £2.38m Highway Investment Programme help my claim?
It shows the council invests beyond DfT grant — but not necessarily on your road. Since 2019 the council has borrowed an extra circa £2.38m per year for preventative treatments. Yet in 2025/26 projected carriageway capital spend (£5.721m) essentially matches the DfT allocation (£5.719m). The DfT Spend scorecard is AMBER. For your claim, the question is whether preventative work reached the specific road where you were damaged.
Wokingham allows temporary pothole repairs — does that affect my claim?
Yes, potentially in your favour. The council states that when a permanent repair is not possible, a make-safe or temporary repair within the emergency or urgent response time is acceptable under the Highways Maintenance Management Plan. If the pothole had been temporarily patched and failed again, that is evidence the defect was known but not permanently fixed.
Who maintains the A329(M) through Wokingham?
Wokingham Borough Council maintains the A329(M) between Coppid Beech and Winnersh — one of only a few local authorities responsible for a motorway section. This is included in the 118.6km A-road and motorway category surveyed annually, where RED condition has remained at 3% from 2020 to 2024. Claims on the A329(M) should still focus on inspection logs and repair history for the specific section.
Pothole repairs fell after the 2023/24 peak — are the roads fixed?
Wokingham still filled an estimated 2,052 potholes in 2024/25 and projects roughly 2,000 in 2025/26 alongside 4,440 other carriageway and footway defects. The five-year total is 10,967 pothole repairs on 805.4km of road. The council notes some work orders cover multiple potholes while others may not be recorded separately.
Data sources: Department for Transport — Local Road Maintenance Ratings 2025 to 2026 | Wokingham Borough Council Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report (June 2025). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.