How good or bad is your council at tackling potholes? New map shows road conditions across England

Drivers in England can find out how their local councils are tackling potholes following the introduction of a new traffic rating system from the Department for Transport (DfT).

The system shows 154 local highway authorities rated as red, amber or green based on road conditions and how effectively they are spending the government's road maintenance funding.

It has bad news for drivers in Cumberland in Cumbria, Bolton in Greater Manchester, Leicestershire, Suffolk, and Kensington and Chelsea in west London - with all areas classed as red under the system.

In a statement, the DfT said authorities listed in red will receive "dedicated support to bring them into line with best practices" through a £300,000 programme.

A majority of local highway authorities are also listed as amber, while green-classified areas include Essex, Wiltshire, Coventry, Leeds, and Darlington in County Durham.

The DfT added that the green areas show they are following "best practice" such as investing in long-term preventative measures rather than just patching up potholes, while also maintaining good road conditions.

The map comes after the government's commitment to provide a total of £7.3bn for local road maintenance funding for the four years up to and including 2029/30 - as part of last year's budget.

Total local road maintenance funding for England provided by the government in the current financial year was also nearly £1.6bn, representing a £500m rise compared with the previous year period.

However, a quarter of the extra money was withheld until the end of last year, after authorities had outlined their plans to spend it.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that she had inherited a "pretty ridiculous situation" when Labour came into office.

She said there "isn't data that has been collected on potholes and there isn't actually even a definition of a pothole".

However, asked why the government had not simply published a map telling drivers where to avoid, Ms Alexander said: "The way in which we worked out how to categorise different local authority areas was based upon a number of factors: the condition of the road, the amount of investment that is being put in, and the extent to which the local authority in question is using best practice, providing good value for money, for the taxpayer."

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Common problems caused by potholes include damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels, according to the RAC.

The motoring group also estimates that a typical repair bill for a family car suffering pothole damage beyond a puncture is £590.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: "While there are examples of good road maintenance practice taking place, this isn't consistent across the country and means drivers have for too long been left with substandard roads.

"We hope this initiative, plus the promise of longer-term funding for councils to allow them to plan and carry out much-needed preventative maintenance, means we're finally on the way to having smoother, better roads."

But shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said "a map won't stop tyres blowing or suspensions snapping".

"Motorists, already being squeezed tight by Labour, deserve real action to back them," he added. "Only the Conservatives will deliver that."

(c) Sky News 2026: How good or bad is your council at tackling potholes? New map shows road conditions across Eng