West Sussex’s pothole problem made worse by weather after County Council fills in 25,500 holes in just nine months

But severe weather and drastic temperature changes have caused many new potholes to form.

The council said tens of thousands of potholes had to be fixed for safety reasons from April to December last year, compared to around 30,000 for the same period in 2021.

But they added that in the first 11 days of January this year the highways teams received 2,500 pothole/carriageway-related enquiries from the public. This was up from 1,400 enquiries for January 2022.

“We are aware of the fresh influx of pothole concerns, sparked by severe weather and temperature changes, and will do all we can to repair those that need filling for safety reasons as soon as possible,” said Matt Davey, the County Council’s assistant director, Highways, Transport and Planning.

He continued: “In November and December, 2022, our Highways teams received our second-highest number of pothole reports on record. Unfortunately, roads are not permanent structures: they deteriorate over time from constant use, the weight of vehicles using them and the effects of weather, resulting in new potholes.

“Older roads, potentially with small cracks, can be impacted by changes in temperature. West Sussex has experienced one of the hottest summers, then mild/wet weather, then the very cold snap from 6 to 15 December, followed by mild and very wet again, sometimes with flood conditions. These fluctuations, with torrential/persistent rain, combine to cause road surfaces to expand/contract and expand again, potentially causing further cracks and new potholes to form.

“We totally understand that potholes are a big source of frustration for all road users and we will investigate people’s concerns so we can prioritise repairing those which meet the safety criteria as quickly as possible.”

The County Council maintains around 2,500 miles of road with A and B roads inspected monthly. C-class and main distributor roads are inspected on a three or six-monthly basis and declassified roads are usually inspected annually. Residents can report potholes on a new online, e-form. Find out more here.

West Sussex County Counciil added that its is ‘taking a holistic approach to the condition of roads’, with larger sections being completely resurfaced on a priority basis. This, the council said, makes them more resilient to potholes and reduces the need for essential, small-scale repairs that cause disruption.

A spokesperson said: “Other forms of treatment, such as surface dressing and micro-asphalt, are also used to prolong the lifespan of suitable roads. We know how important developing a modern infrastructure is to residents and businesses in West Sussex, which is why there are key targets on road condition in our Council Plan From April to the end of December 2022, 145km of road were either completely resurfaced or had surface dressing or micro-asphalt treatments – representing a total investment of £8.1million in road surface improvements county-wide.”

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