Making a 'hole' load of progress on road repairs

COUNCIL RANKED SECOND FOR UK POTHOLE REPAIRS, SURVEY FINDS

- By STUART ARNOLD

Mayor Chris Cooke and Cllr Peter Gavigan joined Highways staff members Shaheed Shan and Stephen Sutherland as they filled potholes in North Ormesby

MIDDLESBROUGH Council is repairing potholes at the second highest rate of any local authority in the UK, according to a survey.

Between 2021 and 2025 a total of 47,154 pothole repairs were completed in the borough, equating to 8,144 per 100km of road. The repair rate placed the council only behind in Redbridge, in Essex, the survey for online tyre fitter Blackcircles found.

The council's response to a Freedom of Information request compiled for the survey also revealed that 13,163 reports of potholes from members of the public were received over the four year period. Between 2021 and 2024 reports more than halved in number from 5,640 to 2,445 and last year they fell again to 1,671.

Blackcircles suggested that a major purge of potholes carried out in 2020/21 in Middlesbrough had helped contain the problem. More recently, last year the council received a one-off grant of £750,000 for fixing potholes, part of a £4.15m Government funding package allocated for road maintenance and improvements.