Somerset Battles Sharp Rise in Potholes After Severe Winter Damage

Somerset Council says extensive repair and resurfacing work is helping the county’s road network recover after a dramatic spike in pothole damage caused by one of the wettest winters in recent years.

New figures released by the authority show that 19,277 potholes were reported between January and 8 May 2026 — a significant increase from the 11,908 defects recorded during the same period last year.

The latest data represents a rise of almost 62%, highlighting the scale of deterioration across Somerset’s highways network following prolonged wet weather conditions.

Thousands of repairs completed

In response to the surge in road damage, Somerset Council and its highways contractor Kier have accelerated repair operations across the county.

A total of 15,771 potholes have already been repaired this year, averaging around 876 repairs every week.

March proved to be the busiest month for repair crews, with nearly 5,000 potholes fixed during the four-week period alone.

To tackle the growing backlog, additional repair teams and machinery were deployed earlier in the year as road conditions worsened.

Council officials said the exceptionally wet winter had significantly increased the number of potholes and other carriageway defects appearing across Somerset.

Focus shifts to prevention

Alongside reactive repairs, the council said major preventative maintenance programmes are also underway to stop further road deterioration.

Surface dressing work has already been carried out on approximately 831,000 square metres of road this year, while a further 31,000 square metres has been fully resurfaced as part of wider highway improvement schemes.

This includes resurfacing works on sections of the A38 between Wellington and Taunton.

Somerset Council said preventative maintenance remains a key part of its long-term strategy to improve road conditions and reduce future repair demands.

“Pothole pandemic” beginning to ease

Somerset Council’s lead member for highways and transport, Councillor Richard Wilkins, acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing road maintenance teams earlier this year.

He described the situation at the beginning of 2026 as a “pothole pandemic” but said significant progress has since been made through coordinated repair efforts.

Wilkins stressed that the council’s approach extends beyond simply filling potholes, with substantial investment also being directed toward resurfacing and preventative treatments designed to strengthen roads over the longer term.

He also encouraged residents to continue reporting highway defects while expressing confidence that motorists would begin to notice improvements across the county.

Monthly pothole figures

Council data shows the number of potholes reported during the first four months of the year reached:

• 4,711 in January

• 6,068 in February

• 5,035 in March

• 2,905 in April

Repair totals for the same period were recorded as:

• 2,541 in January

• 3,554 in February

• 4,964 in March

• 3,739 in April

The figures suggest repair activity has increased steadily as additional resources have been introduced to address the surge in defects.