Surrey faces longest planned wait for pothole inspections, report claims
The county tops a list of local authorities across the country
Last updated 6th Aug 2026
A new report claims Surrey drivers face the longest planned wait in the country for dangerous potholes to be inspected after they're reported.
The research, by car maker Citroën, is based on Freedom of Information requests sent to local highway authorities across the UK.
According to the report, Surrey County Council has on one occasion had a period of 80 days between a dangerous pothole being reported and it being acknowledged and inspected.
That's the longest reported timeframe of any local authority included in the study.
An SCC spokesperson said: "The response of 80-days reported in the FOI in question was the result of a unique situation.
"In that instance, the repair was delayed because there were utility works at the location. The defect was kept safe throughout but couldn’t be fixed until the utility work was completed."
Separately, the report also points to the wider impact of poor road surfaces on motorists.
It claims 28% of UK drivers have lost control of their vehicle after swerving to avoid a pothole, skidding on loose debris, or both.
It also found 81% of drivers say they've been put off reporting potholes because the process is too complicated or they don't know how to do it, while nine in ten believe there is a lack of pride in maintaining Britain's roads.
This comes as the AA says it attended more than 617,000 pothole-related breakdowns last year, with the average insurance claim linked to road defects now costing almost £4,000.
Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Economic Growth at SCC said: “Over the winter months, along with the rest of the country, our roads saw a significant increase in the number of potholes forming, largely due to freezing temperatures and consistent, heavy rain.
“We increased our normal number of repair crews by 100% and they are out on our 3,000 miles of roads working day and night to fix on average, 400 potholes every day.
“As always, we encourage residents to report potholes on our website, but ask that making multiple reports of the same pothole is avoided as this can slow the process down. All current reports of potholes can be viewed and tracked on our website."