Somerset Council has disclosed the average cost of repairing potholes on the county’s roads following a question from a local councillor. While the council oversees most roads in Somerset, major highways like the M5, A303, and A36 are managed separately by National Highways.
Maintaining the road network requires a substantial portion of the council’s highways budget, which covers everything from resurfacing entire roads and applying surface dressing during summer to fixing individual potholes reported by residents.
The details emerged after Councillor Diogo Rodrigues, leader of the Conservative opposition group and representative for Bridgwater East and Bawdrip, asked about the average cost of pothole repairs at a full council meeting held in Bridgwater before Christmas. The meeting’s recording was only recently made public.
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Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and waste services and representative for Curry Rivel and Langport, responded by explaining the difficulty of pinpointing an exact figure. He noted that costs vary widely depending on factors such as the size and depth of the pothole, location, urgency, and whether traffic management or machine-laid patches are needed.
Despite the variability, the council calculated that between April and October 2025, the average cost to repair a pothole was £123.32. For single pothole repairs, this average drops to £98.63.
Residents are encouraged to report potholes or other road problems on Somerset Council’s website at www.somerset.gov.uk/roads-travel-and-parking/report-a-problem-on-the-road.
Councillor Wilkins’ comments coincided with the Department for Transport’s introduction of a new rating system that allows the public to assess how effectively councils use government grants for road maintenance. Somerset Council achieved an ‘amber’ rating, ranking 26th out of 153 local authorities.
The council earned ‘green’ ratings for road condition and best practices but received a ‘red’ rating for spending efficiency, resulting in an overall ‘amber’ score. This ‘red’ spending rating comes despite the council aiming to utilize 98% of its annual Department for Transport capital funding allocation by the end of the current financial year.
Looking ahead to 2025/26, Somerset Council plans to resurface just over 34 miles of road and apply preventative treatments to nearly 115 miles, highlighting its ongoing commitment to maintaining and improving the county’s road infrastructure.