Cornwall’s Battle with Potholes: Over 24,000 Repaired So Far This Year

Cornwall Council has revealed that its highways teams have repaired 24,641 potholes across the county between January and September this year.

Daily Repairs Across Cornwall

Crews are out every day fixing damage using stronger, more resilient materials designed to protect the surrounding road surface. A Council spokesperson said:

“Potholes are one of the things we hear about most, and we’re working hard to fix them.”

Members of the public are being encouraged to help by reporting any potholes they spot directly to the Council via its online tool at cornwall.gov.uk/potholes.

How Potholes Form and Are Treated

The Council explained that potholes are an unavoidable result of ageing highway surfaces, with safety inspections carried out regularly across the entire network.

However, potholes can appear in a very short space of time, sometimes between inspections. This is why the Council values public reports to help them respond quickly.

When prioritising which potholes to treat first, several factors are considered, including:

• The size and depth of the hole

• The amount of traffic on the road

• The speed of the road

• The likelihood of the pothole contributing to a collision

Repairs are prioritised based on risk. Significant hazards are usually treated by the end of the next working day, while less urgent defects are grouped into wider patching or surfacing programmes.

Why Cornwall’s Roads Aren’t All Resurfaced

Cornwall Council maintains around 7,200km of roads but says it does not have the funding to completely resurface them all. Instead, it follows best practice to deliver the best possible value for available funds.

“Prevention is better than cure,” the Council said, explaining that resurfacing is only one part of their approach and that works are prioritised based on usage, condition, and available funding.

Major routes such as much of the A30 and A38 are maintained by Highways England on behalf of central government and are not the Council’s responsibility.

Reporting and Claims

Highways Safety Inspectors carry out routine surveillance and are all accredited to identify defects. Members of the public can also report potholes online, which are then verified by inspectors and programmed for treatment.

The Council aims to carry out permanent repairs at the first visit where possible, though some repairs may take longer if traffic management is required or the cause of the damage isn’t clear.

Residents wishing to make a compensation claim must first report the defect to receive a unique reference number. This number is then used to complete a claim.

Cost of Repairs

Using the Council’s average repair cost of £85 per pothole, the cost of repairing 24,641 potholes so far this year would total £2,094,485.

Recent figures also show how the number of potholes repaired has fluctuated in recent years:

The Council continues to encourage residents to report potholes at cornwall.gov.uk/potholes to help keep Cornwall’s roads safe and well maintained.