Herts has strictest pothole repair policy

Hertfordshire County Council has the strictest pothole repair policy of 145 highway authorities according to a survey by The Daily Telegraph.

The newspaper reports that nearly one in eight highways authorities in England will not fix a pothole unless it is at least 300mm (12in) wide. Hertfordshire county council will not consider a road defect for repair until it is at least 300mm wide and 50mm (2in) deep. No other council that publishes its policies requires a pothole to be 2in deep for it to be filled in.

Thd county council received received 1,914 clams for compensation due to damage caused by the potholes in 2023, but just 13% of those claims were successful.

The council's Executive Member for Highways, Phil Bibby, responded by highlighting that the Department of Transport rated the county's highways as better than average.

When we’re prioritising potholes repairs we look at a number of factors including width, depth, position in the carriageway and the type of road it’s on to decide how urgently a particular pothole needs to be fixed.

We have some of the busiest roads in the country, and keeping them in good condition means we need to prioritise preventing potholes forming in the first place by treating roads that are starting to deteriorate.

Our strategic decisions over the last few years have led to Hertfordshire’s A, B and C roads being consistently rated as better than the national average by the Department for Transport, and as some of the best in the South East.

:: Cllr Phil Bibby