Drivers not convinced by pothole repair success

As the January weather takes hold on Yorkshire's roads, drivers are able to see for the first time how well their council is tackling potholes.

A new mapping tool, created by the Department for Transport, compares local authorities using a traffic light rating system - and Rotherham and Leeds are among the towns and cities to have received the highest "green" rating.

According to the government, green means councils have good local road conditions, are adopting best practice and are investing significantly in maintaining their roads.

An amber rating shows a more mixed performance while red is the lowest.

But do motorists in Rotherham and Leeds agree with the government's decision?

Alan Booth is a driving instructor at RIMS Driving School, and spends a lot of time on the roads.

"They are terrible, shocking. I drive all around Rotherham and some of the roads have been resurfaced," he says.

"Where they have been resurfaced completely they are fine but I've seen very little work on potholes."

Potholes form when water gets into cracks in the road and freezes, and bad weather makes things worse, according to the RAC.

The organisation says its patrols went to more than 25,000 pothole-related breakdowns over the past year, up by around 11% on the previous year.

Common damage includes broken suspension springs, distorted wheels and damaged shock absorbers.

It advises drivers to regularly check their tyre pressure, avoid unnecessary braking and use lower speeds.

At Viking Motors, a bodyshop and garage in Parkgate, mechanic Jimmy McGregor says he has seen fewer pothole-related repairs.

"The work does seem to have filtered down, there's a lot less coming through," he says.

"Driving on Rotherham roads you do notice it. There's room for improvement, there always is but it does seem to be improving all the way around really."

According to Rotherham Council, it has invested £39m into road surfacing since 2014/15 and is committed to spending another £16m until 2028.

A spokesperson says investment has led to a significant reduction in the number of potholes that require repair.

In 2014/15, 34,000 potholes were repaired, but in 2025/26, only 12,951 potholes needed to be repaired.

However, 199 roads have been identified to be resurfaced in total, alongside 140 footways.

These included locations along the A57, Moorgate Road, Doncaster Road at Hooton Roberts, and Aldwarke Lane at Parkgate.

Community safety and street scene assistant director Sam Barstow says the green rating is "fantastic" for Rotherham.

"The government have looked at a range of different factors, how much do local authorities invest in the road, how many potholes get reported and critically do they comply with best practice," he says.

"Critically, it's not just about patching and repairing potholes, it's actually about investing in resurfacing activity and getting to address the root cause of the problems."

None of Yorkshire's local authorities were rated red under the Department for Transport's performance rating.

In Leeds - the only other green council in the region - road users there say they are unimpressed.

Beverley Green says councils do not fill potholes thoroughly enough.

"I try to avoid them if I can possibly help it but there's always one which catches you out.

"They just don't do the side roads, we had some really bad ones down our road in Rothwell.

"The council did eventually do something but they don't fill them properly, they just put a layer over the top so they don't last two minutes."

Tomasz Romaniewicz says larger vehicles are putting pressure on road surfaces and would like to see more investment in public transport.

"I don't think Leeds is any better or worse than any other city I've experienced.

"There is a massive increase in car use, people are driving bigger cars and infrastructure can't cope," he says.

"It's fundamentally about getting people out of cars on public transport and reducing car use."

Richard Tallant says Leeds City Council is "not too bad" at fixing potholes compared to other areas and was not surprised to hear the area is one of the best in the country.

"I used to work in highways and I know how much people actually do work on the roads so it doesn't surprise me," he says.

"I drive on main roads and don't often hit a pothole, it's more on the countryside roads that you find a lot of damage.

"Resurfacing is a better option, but much more expensive and time consuming, and there's obviously delays to traffic as well, so I think it's very difficult to repair potholes and keep them repaired."

Leeds City Council deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development Jonathan Pryor says there is still a "significant backlog" of repairs.

He says: "The estimated value of this is around £300m; our highways team is working hard to address this.

"This green recognition demonstrates the hard work and high investment we have put into this, but we understand more is needed."

The council is looking to invest an additional £13m into highways maintenance every year, he adds.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North