Potholes

When you report a pothole to Actionline via telephone (0800 519 1919) or Online our street maintenance inspectors are notified that an inspection is required. All potholes reported by members of the public are inspected.

The pothole will need to meet our intervention levels before it is recorded as a defect.

If the pothole meets the intervention requirements a repair will be carried out and the length of time it will take will depend on its intervention category. (See FAQ 2)

Please remember, when reporting a pothole;

• Try to provide a good location i.e. Outside no. 4 or near lamp column no. 27
• Provide as much information as possible that will help the inspector find the pothole you are reporting.

In addition to responding to the public our inspectors also identify potholes while carrying out routed safety inspections. The whole city is inspected twice annually.

An intervention level is a trigger point for us to intervene when a defect occurs. When inspecting potholes the intervention levels govern what priority is given to the repair;

If a section of the carriageway deteriorates and is less than 40mm deep it is not considered to be a pothole, the same principle applies to footways when less than 20mm deep. Nevertheless it may be indicative of a different problem.

A defect which is the required depth but does not extend more than 300 or 600mm may still be a defect in the carriageway or footway but is not technically classed as a pothole.

Potholes that do not meet intervention levels would require further excavation to repair. If material were to be used without excavation it would be plucked out from the shallow depression by the passing traffic and the repair would only last a matter of days.

With limited resources available, the intervention levels are used for prioritising repairs.

A pothole is formed as a result of a failure of the top surface of the road or footpath.

When the surface ages, it becomes more porous and rainwater penetrates it through cracks and other flaws.

In wet conditions the pressure created by car tyres passing over the area forces water further down into the road surface weakening it.

In cold and wet weather conditions a phenomenon known as 'freeze-thaw' occurs. This causes a faster deterioration of the surfaces, because the water which had filled the cracks freezes and expands, loosening chunks of the surface material.

Once a pothole has formed it will grow in size as traffic continually dislodges and removes weakened and broken pieces of the surface.

When a surface has deteriorated over a larger area, potholes continue to reoccur. Often the entire surface needs to be repaired or completely replaced under our Highway roads programme.

A pothole repair involves the ‘cutting out’ of the weakened area to form a rectangular shape. The hole is then cleaned out and painted with a coat of liquid bituminous binder. This acts as an adhesive when the hole is filled with a layer of bitumen road surface material.

In some circumstances a temporary repair is carried out to ensure the immediate safety of the public. This is a short term measure, with a permanent repair scheduled soon after. Where possible we aim to carry out a permanent repair straight away.

If necessary, we will use traffic control when carrying out pothole repairs.

If you have fallen or damaged your property as a result of a possible pothole and you wish to report it please contact Actionline (0800 519 1919).

The Council's insurance department investigate compensation claims.