Somerset Council’s Highways teams are fighting back against the pothole pandemic caused by one of the wettest winters on record in the South West.
Extra teams and machinery have been mobilised in the early part of 2026 to deal with the huge increase in potholes and other defects during the winter.
Between January and 8 May this year 19,277 potholes were logged, compared to 11,908 in the same period last year, nearly a 62% increase. Of those reported this year, 15,771 have now been repaired by the council’s contractor Kier – an average of 876 per week.
In March alone 4964 potholes were repaired.
In addition to this work, 831,000 sqm of road have been surface dressed this year. Surface dressing is a key preventative treatment which extends the life span of the road surface and is crucial to help stop potholes forming.
Meanwhile, a major ongoing programme this year has so far seen 31,000 sqm of road resurfaced, including the stretch of the A38 between Wellington and Taunton.
Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Highways and Transport said:
There is always more to do but this is a great effort by all concerned. It was incredibly daunting at the start of the year with the situation described as a pothole pandemic.
Thanks to the hard work of our teams this is turning around. But it’s not just about filling in potholes, it’s about the major programmes of preventative works, surface dressing and resurfacing which is taking place across the county.
Please keep reporting any problems you see, but hopefully you will start to see a huge difference.
Potholes logged
- April 2,905
- March 5,035
- February 6,068
- January 4,711
Repairs per month
- April (4-week period) 3,739
- March (5-week period) 4,964
- February 3,554
- January 2,541
If you spot a problem on the road you can report it quickly and easily via the Council’s Report a problem on the road webpage.
Follow @TravelSomerset on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook for live travel updates, roadworks and other highways news.
