Claiming compensation for pothole damage is one approach to the problem. But what if you want the pothole actually fixed — both to protect other drivers and because a fixed road benefits everyone? Reporting a pothole to the right authority is quick, free, and genuinely makes a difference. Here’s how.
Who Is Responsible for Which Roads?
Road maintenance responsibility in the UK is divided between different authorities depending on the type of road.
Local roads — the vast majority of roads you drive on day to day — are the responsibility of your local council (the highways authority for your area). This covers residential streets, local A and B roads, and most rural roads.
Motorways and major A-roads (the Strategic Road Network) are managed by National Highways, which is an executive agency of the Department for Transport.
Roads in London are split between Transport for London (for major roads and the TLRN — Transport for London Road Network) and the individual London boroughs for local roads.
Knowing who is responsible determines where you need to report.
Reporting to Your Local Council
Most councils have an online pothole reporting form on their website. Search for “[your council name] report a pothole” and you’ll typically find it within a couple of clicks. These forms ask for the location (often with a map pin), a description of the pothole’s size and depth, and optionally a photograph.
Alternatively, the Fix My Street website (fixmystreet.com) and app let you report potholes and other road problems across England, Scotland, and Wales from a single platform — it routes your report to the correct council automatically. It also shows reports from other residents, so you can see if a problem has already been flagged.
When reporting, be as precise as possible about location — a nearby junction or landmark, the direction of travel, and a description of where on the road the pothole sits. A photograph with something in frame for scale is more useful than a photograph alone.
Reporting to National Highways
For potholes on motorways and major A-roads managed by National Highways, report via the National Highways website (nationalhighways.co.uk) or by calling 0300 123 5000. The reporting form works the same way as council reporting — location, description, photograph if possible.
Does Reporting Actually Work?
In short: yes, though the response time varies. Councils are legally obliged to inspect and respond to pothole reports within a reasonable time — typically 28 days for inspection, with urgent hazards assessed and addressed more quickly. A pothole rated as immediately dangerous (very deep, in a primary route) should be addressed within 24 hours; lower-priority defects may take considerably longer.
The Fix My Street platform publishes update rates by council, which gives a sense of how responsive individual authorities are. Some councils are considerably more proactive than others.
One important benefit of reporting: it creates a formal record that the pothole was known about. If you later make a compensation claim for vehicle damage, being able to show that the pothole was reported — and not repaired — significantly strengthens your case.
Follow Up If Nothing Happens
If you’ve reported a pothole and weeks pass without any response or repair, follow up. Reference your original report number (always save this), note that the defect is ongoing, and ask for an update on the repair timeline. Councils are more likely to prioritise reported defects that are actively being chased.
If the council continues to ignore a genuinely dangerous road defect, escalating to your local councillor can be effective. Elected members have more direct influence over highways priorities than individual residents, and a constituent complaint to a councillor tends to generate faster action than an ignored web form.
Photograph Evidence
Even if you’re not planning a compensation claim, photograph any significant pothole when you report it. A geotagged smartphone photo provides a date-stamped, location-verified record that the defect existed on a specific date — useful if you later need to demonstrate it was present and unreported for an extended period.
The Bigger Picture
UK roads are in a structurally poor state, and the funding available to councils for road maintenance is chronically below what would be needed to address the backlog. Individual pothole reports won’t solve that structural problem. But they do move specific defects up the queue for repair, create accountability records, and — collectively — provide data that supports arguments for increased maintenance funding.
The DfT publishes annual data on road condition across English local authorities. If your area consistently performs poorly, your local council and MP are the right people to raise this with — and the data is publicly available to support the argument.
Reporting takes two minutes. It costs nothing. And it’s one of the few direct ways a driver can influence the condition of the roads they use every day.
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