More than 500 sections of road across the borough have been repaired by Dudley Council since the beginning of the year, following a sharp rise in pothole reports triggered by severe winter weather.
The council’s highways teams have been working intensively to address the growing number of road defects after heavy rainfall and snowfall earlier in the year caused significant damage to road surfaces. According to local officials, more than 6,000 potholes have been reported so far this year—an average of about 150 complaints each day. The figure represents a substantial increase compared with last year, when roughly 10,000 reports were recorded over the entire 12-month period.
Local authorities say the surge reflects a wider national problem affecting many councils across the United Kingdom, where extreme weather conditions have accelerated the deterioration of road networks.
Simon Phipps, cabinet member for economy and infrastructure at Dudley Council, acknowledged the scale of the challenge but praised the efforts of the council’s repair teams.
“Following some horrendous rainfall since the start of the year, we are getting about 150 reports per day from residents concerned about potholes,” he said. “This is a national issue that councils up and down the country are having to deal with, not just here in Dudley.”
Despite the mounting workload, Phipps said council crews have continued to respond quickly to the most urgent cases. “Our teams are working in all weathers and even overnight to prioritise and repair the most dangerous potholes,” he added.
The council confirmed that reactive repairs have been completed at more than 500 locations throughout the borough. In addition to these immediate fixes, officials say they are pursuing a broader strategy aimed at improving the long-term condition of local roads.
Several resurfacing projects have already been completed as part of this programme. Key roads that have undergone resurfacing include sections of East Street in Lower Gornal, Cross Street in Halesowen, Yew Tree Hills in Netherton, and New Street in Wall Heath. These projects are designed to strengthen road surfaces and reduce the likelihood of further damage.
Phipps noted that the council has increased investment in road maintenance in recent years as part of efforts to tackle long-standing infrastructure issues across the borough.
“We have a long-term programme to improve the overall state of roads right across Dudley, and we have committed more funding to this work over the last few years,” he said.
Residents have also played an important role in identifying problem areas. The council encourages people to report potholes and other road defects through its online reporting platform, MyDudley, which allows officials to track and prioritise repairs.
Last year alone, Dudley Council repaired more than 25,000 square metres of damaged road surface. Contractors have also been carrying out special “night-time blitz” operations to complete repairs with minimal disruption to daytime traffic.
As weather conditions continue to affect road infrastructure nationwide, local authorities say maintaining safe and reliable roads will remain a priority for the months ahead.
