Highways maintenance transparency report 2026

What we are responsible for maintaining

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is responsible for maintaining and managing the majority of the city's local highway network, helping to keep residents, businesses and visitors moving safely and efficiently.

Our highway assets include:

• Carriageways: 993 km of roads
• Footways: 1,127 km of footways and pedestrian routes
• Public Rights of Way: 243 km of footpaths, bridleways and other routes
• Street Lighting: Approximately 46,000 street lighting assets
• Traffic Signals and Crossings: 282 signal-controlled junctions and pedestrian crossings
• Bridges and Highway Structures: A network of 87 bridges, culverts and retaining walls across the city

We also maintain a range of other highway assets, including drainage systems, safety barriers, signs and road markings.

Maintaining Stoke-on-Trent's highway network presents several challenges. The network carries significant levels of traffic and includes many ageing assets requiring ongoing investment and maintenance. Weather conditions, particularly periods of prolonged rainfall, freezing temperatures and extreme heat, can accelerate deterioration of roads and footways. The city's industrial heritage and varied topography also create additional maintenance demands. Our approach is focused on managing these challenges through risk-based maintenance, regular inspections and targeted investment to keep the network safe, resilient and available for all users.

(National Highways is responsible for maintaining the M6 and A50 and A500 within the area.)

Road conditions in Stoke-on-Trent

A2.1. A roads

Year	Percentage of road in red category	Percentage of road in amber category	Percentage of road in green category
2023	N/A%	N/A%	N/A%
2024	N/A%	N/A%	N/A%
2025	2%	13%	85%

A2.2. B and C roads

Year	Percentage of road in red category	Percentage of road in amber category	Percentage of road in green category
2023	N/A%	N/A%	N/A%
2024	N/A%	N/A%	N/A%
2025	2%	13%	85%

A2.3. U roads

Year	Percentage of road in red category
2023	N/A%
2024	N/A%
2025	2%

The figures provided for previous years have been revised from the figures provided last year due to an unknown issue at the time of publishing. Therefore, the figures may not match the FYE25 DfT published official statistics, however, this revision has been verified by DfT and will be updated in the FYE26 official statistics.

Councils use road condition surveys to assess the state of their roads. The results are grouped into three categories:

• Green – the road is in good condition and no further investigation or treatment is required
• Amber – the road may need maintenance soon
• Red – the road is in poor condition and should be considered for maintenance

The published official statistics for road condition include more detail about the methodology, timing and coverage of this data

What we are doing about potholes and other road defects

A pothole is a localised failure of the road surface where material has broken away to form a void or depression with clearly defined edges.

Potholes typically develop when water enters cracks in the road surface and weakens the underlying layers. Traffic loading and weather conditions, particularly periods of heavy rainfall, freezing temperatures and subsequent thawing, can cause the surface to break apart and deteriorate further.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council recognises that every reported pothole or road defect matters to the person affected. However, with a network of almost 1,000km of roads and finite resources, we use a risk-based approach in line with national best practice to prioritise repairs where they present the greatest risk to public safety.

Each defect is assessed individually, considering factors such as its size, location, traffic speeds, usage and the potential consequences of not repairing it. Depending on the assessed risk, defects may be categorised for repair within:

• 2 hours (Emergency)
• 7 days (Urgent)
• 45 days (Programmed)
• 90 days (Planned maintenance)

This approach ensures resources are directed to where they will have the greatest impact on safety and network resilience.

What we are doing to tackle potholes

Stoke-on-Trent City Council takes a proactive, risk-based approach to managing potholes and other highway defects. During 2025/26, we repaired approximately 2828 potholes across the city's highway network.

We are proud to maintain a direct labour workforce, meaning our highway repairs are carried out by council employees rather than external contractors. This gives us greater control over quality, productivity and responsiveness. Importantly, many of the operatives who repair our roads also live, work and travel in the city themselves, creating a strong sense of ownership and pride in delivering lasting repairs for local communities.

Whilst responding quickly to safety defects is important, we recognise that preventing potholes from forming in the first place delivers the greatest long-term benefit. Each year we invest significantly in preventative maintenance treatments designed to preserve road surfaces and extend asset life before more costly deterioration occurs. During 2025/26, we completed over 33 km of preventative maintenance across the network, including:

• Asphalt preservation treatments
• Surface dressing with encapsulation layers
• Micro asphalt surfacing
• Footway slurry sealing

Where it is safe and practical to do so, we prioritise permanent repairs to reduce repeat visits and disruption to road users. However, factors such as traffic management requirements, weather conditions, road safety considerations and the extent of damage can sometimes require temporary repairs before a permanent solution can be delivered.

We focus on “whole-life asset management" approach rather than simply focusing on pothole repairs. The report explains how investment decisions are based on asset condition, lifecycle planning and risk management. This balanced approach helps us maximise the value of available funding, improve network condition and reduce future pothole formation.

How members of public can report potholes and other highway defects

Stoke-on-Trent City Council encourages residents to report potholes and other highway defects as soon as they are identified so that they can be assessed and, where necessary, repaired.

Our preferred reporting method is through the Council's online Report a Problem service, which is available 24 hours a day and allows customers to submit details of defects directly through our website. This helps us capture accurate information and quickly route reports to the appropriate team for assessment.

Residents can report issues online at:

report a problem

We recognise that not everyone wishes to use online services, so we also provide alternative reporting channels:

• Telephone: Residents can contact the Council's Customer Services team by phone.
• Email: Reports can be submitted through our dedicated highways email inbox.

These channels can be used to report a range of highway issues, including:

• Potholes and carriageway defects
• Footway defects
• Damaged kerbs
• Street lighting faults
• Traffic signal faults
• Drainage issues
• Damaged road signs and street furniture

All reports are logged and assessed using our risk-based approach to determine the appropriate response and repair timescale. This ensures that resources are prioritised towards defects presenting the greatest risk to highway users.

What happens after a pothole is reported

Once a pothole or highway defect is reported, the information is reviewed and triaged by our highways team. If sufficient details are provided, a job is raised and the customer is issued with a reference number so the report can be tracked.

Where additional information is required, we may contact the customer directly or arrange for a highway inspector to visit the location to verify the defect and gather accurate details. This helps ensure that our operational teams receive precise information first time, allowing repairs to be planned and completed as efficiently as possible.

All reported defects are assessed using our risk-based approach, with repair priorities determined by the level of risk they present to highway users.