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Potholes

We're responsible for the maintenance of more than 574km (366 miles) of highways – this includes the identification and repairing of potholes.

We fill in an average of 6000 - 8000 potholes a year.

Although we do all we can to keep the roads and pathways safe, we cannot repair every pothole as soon as it is formed. This page will help you to understand what we do, how we identify potholes and how they get repaired.

Although we inspect the highways on a regular basis, we need you to help us by reporting potholes as soon as you spot them.

How can I report a pothole?

You can report a pothole using our online report it system. Alternatively you can call us on 01325 405222.

What information is needed when reporting a pothole?

  • your contact details – in case we need more information
  • description of the pothole – what is its approximate size and where in the road is it 
  • location of the pothole – include as much detail as possible so we can find the pothole; this is especially important in rural areas. Please include:
    • the name of the road
    • any identifiable landmarks near the pothole (for example, a nearby house, streetlight or junction)

I’ve reported a pothole, what happens next?

When you report a pothole, we will send someone out within 24 hours to determine how urgently it needs repairing.

Once inspected, the pothole will be either repaired within 20 days or five weeks. The most dangerous potholes will be repaired within 24 hours. Our pothole filling team is out all day throughout the year.

Do you inspect the roads for potholes?

As well as reacting to requests to fix potholes, we inspect the roads ourselves. This is done every three months on urban roads and every 30 days on rural roads and roads in the town centre.

We determine how urgently any potholes need repairing and then they are repaired within 20 days or five weeks. The most dangerous potholes will be repaired in 24 hours. 

We publish a list of all our highway schemes for the financial year, including pothole repairs

How do you decide which potholes are repaired?

If a pothole on a road is less than 40mm (1.6in) or less than 20mm (0.8in) on a footpath – it will not be repaired; however we will keep inspecting it to make sure it does not get worse.

Pothole under 40mm   Pothole over 40mm

The pothole on the left is less than 40mm so it would not be repaired. The pothole on the right is more than 40mm so it would be repaired.

Which roads are you responsible for fixing?

We are responsible for the majority of highways and footpaths in Darlington, however there are some roads we are not responsible for:

  • the A66 and the A1 – these are maintained by Highways England [external link].
  • private roads – these are the responsibility of the resident/landowner.
  • supermarket/shop car parks. These are the responsibility of the supermarket/shop.

Why haven't you filled in all the potholes on my street?

We do not repair potholes on a street-by-street basis; we repair them according to the level of urgency. This means that we will repair the biggest and most urgent potholes in your street first, and come back to repair the less urgent ones at a later date.

Who is responsible for damage to vehicles or personal injury? Can I sue?

No, not usually. We are only potentially liable to pay for damage to vehicles or personal injury if we have been negligent. We are not expected to keep roads free of potholes at all times. Unfortunately, when conditions are severe, potholes will be more common. Road users must therefore be on the look out and take greater care after severe weather.

More information about claims

Number of potholes repaired

Number of potholes repaired
  2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24
April 1,252 777 673 765 541 1,208 447 57 910 589 596
May 1,271 483 741 598 566 896 493 365 547 644 437
June 1,129 660 738 1,021 540 755 404 427 495 515 408
July 835 697 423 346 322 687 447 317 634 474 322
August 528 569 356 699 296 298 193 684 578 256 334
September 378 701 235 302 305 247 324 409 259 258 267
October 412 423 334 241 242 246 212 347 466 318 235
November 556 580 255 244 348 349 318 218 198 273 360
December 596 515 439 331 253 425 428 341 403 273 485
January 506 674 500 526 664 537 735 627 682 636 972
February 1,117 802 974 604 1,214 361 594 798 559 518 906
March 910 1,123 943 569 1,291 622 480 1,352 813 578  
                       
Total 9,490 8,004 6,611  6,246  6,582 6,631 5,075 5,942 6,544 5,332  

 

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