Well over 3,000 potholes repaired across Peterborough this year, council says
Peterborough City Council has repaired more potholes over the last six months than it managed for all of last year, figures show.
According to the authority’s own latest statistics, a total of 3,374 potholes were repaired between Jan 1 and May 31, 2026.
In the same period last year, the council repaired less than half that number of potholes – 1,417.
In fact, the total number of potholes repaired across Peterborough for the whole of 2025 was 2,891; well under the figure recorded for just the first half of 2026.
Speaking ahead of an upcoming council Cabinet meeting where road surface repairs are on the agenda for discussion, the Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr Angus Ellis, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he was pleased with the council’s performance:
“We currently have good turn around on pothole repairs in Peterborough,” he said.
The authority suggested the rise in successful repair figures could be attributed to a combination of highly inclement weather, more frequent inspections and an increase in public reporting:
“More potholes formed during the [last] winter due to an extremely wet spell of weather, which coincided with frosts and ice,” a council spokesperson said.
“Prior to the wet winter was a dry summer which caused highway cracking and surface damage allowing water ingress.
“As a result, we received more reports of potholes, and our teams found more potholes during highways inspections.”
Peterborough City Council is responsible for the upkeep of 578 miles (930km) of roads; the equivalent distance from Peterborough to Frankfurt, Germany.
It employs a team of six highways inspectors whose job it is to routinely check all roads, footpaths and cycleways. These inspections are carried out annually, six monthly, quarterly or – for busier roads such as the parkway network and A roads – monthly.
On its Pothole Mythbusters webpage, the council is realistic about what it can and cannot achieve:
“We have to work within the confines of our funding which means that we have to prioritise locations that pose the greatest safety risks.”
The council actively encourages motorists to report any potholes they may encounter while out driving.
It adds the caveat that potholes less than 4cm deep “will not damage your vehicle” and so will not be repaired. However, even modest potholes may still be monitored and repaired if they deteriorate.
Residents who would like to report a pothole on Peterborough roads can do so by visiting the council’s report a problem website.