We know potholes remain a major frustration for residents, and I want to reassure people that keeping Hampshire’s roads safe is a top priority, despite significant funding pressures and weather-related challenges.
Since Christmas, wintry and wet weather has hit our highway network particularly hard. Continual freeze–thaw cycles and persistent rain can rapidly weaken road surfaces which has led to a noticeable increase in repair requests.
Every report is assessed by our highways team, with urgent safety risks prioritised - particularly on our busiest and most important routes. While permanent, first-time repairs are always our preferred approach, the sheer level of demand means some potholes may need a temporary fix while more durable solutions are scheduled. Nevertheless, we are repairing issues at pace: since the start of the financial year our teams have fixed more than 62,000 highway defects, including potholes and other issues such as surface damage.
To help tackle the current spike in demand, we have allocated extra resources across Hampshire. Additional automated pothole filling machines (known as jet or dragon patchers) are already out on the network, with more due shortly, and three extra patching gangs began work this month, with further teams joining by the end of the month. To manage increased flooding, more jetting machines are in operation to clear piped drainage systems, supported by a dedicated team addressing localised flooding issues. An extra white lining crew is also working across the county to refresh markings at smaller, localised sites where deterioration has occurred.
The majority of our funding continues to support planned, proactive work to make roads more durable and reduce the need for reactive repairs. However, like councils nationwide, increasingly extreme and unpredictable weather is accelerating deterioration of the nation’s local road network. Years of underfunding from Government mean that Hampshire alone faces an estimated £500 million shortfall to deliver a road network that can better cope with the growing pressures of increased traffic, heavier vehicles and a changing climate. Wider pressures on council finances mean we have limited ability to supplement Government funding, and although the Department for Transport has confirmed a £1.8m increase for road maintenance in 2026/27, rising inflation and higher material costs mean this will do little to close the gap.
Our commitment remains clear: we will target our limited resources where they are most needed and make every pound count. Please help us by continuing to report potholes and defects online or via the Our Hants app.
Cllr Lulu Bowerman,
Executive Member for Highways and Passenger Transport,
The Castle,
Winchester
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