Is county’s pothole problem getting worse?

Herefordshire Council has denied the county’s potholes problem is getting worse.

In a response to a Freedom of Information request published earlier this month, the council said that, as of a month ago, it knew of 1,014 unfixed or outstanding potholes – but 780 of these were “due to be completed within the next two months”.

It said the amount spent on the problem had slipped from £1,789,200 in financial year 2022/23, to £1,324,143 in 2024/25, while the number of claims it had received over pothole-related damage to vehicles more than doubled over the same period, from 146 to 383.

And at £14,138.50, the amount it paid out in compensation over these claims was also higher in 2024/25 than the two previous years.

A Herefordshire Council has now said it would “not be right to conclude from these figures that the potholes situation has been getting worse”.

“Herefordshire council is investing more to prevent and repair potholes across our highways network as we know this is an important issue for road users in the county,” they said.

The budget for pothole repairs in the current financial year, 2025/26, has now increased to £2.1 million, as part of a wider £50 million planned spend on the county’s roads, according to the spokesperson.

“Resurfacing roads not only prevents future potholes but delivers repairs on these stretches of road,” they said, adding: “Whilst we are seeing a rise in claims in relation to potholes, the rate to which they are successful has gone down.”