We are aware that residents across the county are frustrated with the growing number of potholes and deteriorating road surfaces in East Sussex.
We understand these concerns, potholes are disruptive and inconvenient.
Potholes aren’t a new problem but the start of 2026 has brought an exceptional spell of prolonged, intense wet weather, particularly compared with the previous winter that was particularly dry. Ground conditions across the county have been saturated for weeks, watercourses have been running at capacity and standing surface water has become a persistent problem. These conditions have significantly affected road surfaces and contributed to a notable rise in potholes and other weather‑related defects.
This trend is being seen nationally, and East Sussex is no exception. In January 2025, 2,418 potholes repairs were raised compared with 3,646 in January 2026, an increase of 51%, and in February we had 4,713 compared to 2,921 in February 2025. We recognise the impact this has on road users, and we want to reassure residents that East Sussex Highways is taking steps to tackle the problem and restore the county’s roads as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Actions underway right now
To respond to the increase in defects caused by the wet weather, East Sussex Highways has introduced a range of additional measures:
- Extra repair crews. We have doubled the number of repair crews to 24, adding carriageway patching teams and spray‑patching teams to deliver faster, more durable repairs.
- Targeted inspections of routes that are prone to flooding or have known drainage challenges.
- Enhanced drainage clearance, supported by a second highway surface water drain‑jetting vehicle to help reduce standing water.
- Surface water management, including recutting ditches, the provision of tankers to remove standing water, root cutting and jetting to help water drain away more effectively.
- Innovative repair techniques, such as the Roadmender polymer‑based carriageway patching system and spray‑applied patching, improving durability and reducing repeat visits.
- Forward planning for drier weather, allowing for an early start on our resurfacing and surface dressing programme that will be ready to mobilise as soon as the weather allows. We will share more details on this plan here in the coming weeks.
Why we don’t repair every pothole and defect on our roads
East Sussex Highways works to the Highways Act which does not require us to maintain perfect roads or repair every pothole or defect. To do so would be prohibitively expensive and place and even greater burden on Council Tax payers. Instead, the Highways Act requires the council to have in place a suite of maintenance policies and intervention criteria. East Sussex Highways work to those council polices and only repair those potholes that meet those intervention criteria, and within the council’s prescribed timescales. To repair every pothole, regardless of size, would cost four or five times the current budget.
Why we can’t simply spend more on highways – despite significant investment
It’s understandable that residents often ask why we can’t allocate more funding to address the state of the county’s roads.
We’d like to spend more on repairing our roads to prevent potholes from forming, and to bring all our roads up to the good standard that our residents expect. But the reality is it would cost at least £350 million. This doesn’t include future planned works that are also essential to prolong the life of the network, or winter gritting, weed control or the maintenance of bridges and structures, road signs and replacement of streetlights - these are all essential things the highways budget also needs to cover.
Over the five years to 2024/25, East Sussex County Council invested an additional £56.9 million into maintaining the road network, alongside £77.1 million of Government funding. This investment supported an increase in resurfacing, patching, surface dressing, structural maintenance, and the replacement of streetlights. Due to unprecedented financial pressures, the County Council is no longer able to sustain this additional investment. From 2026/27 to 2029/30, the Government has committed £106 million of capital funding for highways maintenance.
It is important to explain the difference between capital and revenue spending:
- Government capital funding is used for planned works such as resurfacing, patching, surface dressing, bridge and structure maintenance, and streetlight replacements.
- Reactive work, including pothole repairs, gulley emptying, winter gritting and weed control, is funded from the Council’s annual revenue budget of around £13 million, supported by Council Tax.
The scale of the challenge we face is substantial and it isn’t a problem East Sussex faces alone. Nationally, the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance report shows a backlog of nearly £17 billion - the highest level reported in 30 years.
Residents often say they pay Council Tax, so why can’t more of that go into repairing the roads? In reality, over 76% of the Council Tax that the county council receives is spent on Adult Social Care and on looking after vulnerable children. The remaining 24% has to fund all of the other council services, including highway maintenance. For more info, visit What does your council tax pay for in 2026 and 2027?
Temporary repairs and quality assurance
Sometimes temporary repairs are necessary – for example, where it is not safe at that particular time to carry out a permanent repair, when conditions are too wet for permanent materials, when further investigation is needed, or where a road is scheduled for wider works. Temporary repairs are marked with a ‘T’, and permanent repairs usually follow within 28 days.
Quality of repairs remains an essential part of the process. In 2025, 7,705 random quality audits were completed by East Sussex County Council and Balfour Beatty Living Places, covering nearly one in five jobs. Any repair that fails inspection is re‑repaired at the contractor’s cost.
Working to a clear maintenance plan
All of this activity forms part of East Sussex County Council’s established Highways Asset Management Plan, which sets out how roads, footways, drainage, structures and other assets are inspected, maintained and prioritised.
This plan ensures that maintenance is carried out consistently, transparently and based on condition, use, and safety requirements. It helps us focus resources where the investment is best directed and ensures that the network is managed in a structured, long‑term, cost‑effective way.
We hear you
We understand that the recent increase in the number of potholes is frustrating for residents. The weather conditions this winter have been exceptional, but our teams continue to work at pace, using every available resource and technique to maintain safety on the network. As the weather improves, more permanent and large‑scale repairs will follow as part of our planned maintenance programme.
Thank you for your support as we work through these challenges. Please continue to report potholes or other defects through our established reporting systems - your reports and feedback genuinely help us prioritise and deliver repairs more effectively.
You can read more about how we keep East Sussex moving, funding and how we work with utility providers in this Blog: How we keep you moving in East Sussex | live.eastsussexhighways.com
A blog by Andrew, Head of Highways at East Sussex County Council