Reactive maintenance - Pothole management

Our repair criteria

At East Sussex Highways, our decision to repair is based on the level of risk to safety; with bigger potholes on main roads being the top priority. These guidelines, known as intervention levels, help us focus on the most urgent safety issues. These intervention levels are set by Elected Members, not by contractors or officers.

For potholes in the carriageway, the intervention levels for repair are:

  • Category 1: Greater than 100mm and at least 300mm wide in all directions - Made Safe within 2 hours
  • Category 2: Greater than 60mm and less than 99mm deep and at least 300mm in all directions - Repaired within 5 days
  • Category 3: Greater than 40mm and less than 59mm deep and at least 300mm in all directions - Repaired within 28 days

For footways, the intervention levels for repair are: 

  • Category 1: Greater than 40mm deep - Made Safe within 2 hours
  • Category 2: Greater than 30mm deep - Repaired within 5 days
  • Category 3: Greater than 20mm deep - Repaired within 28 days

You can find more details on our intervention levels on the below page:

Our intervention levels