Darlington launches major resurfacing project to tackle potholes and improve road safety

Cutler Heights Lane Pothole
Author: Bill Edgar, LDRSPublished 23rd Sep 2025

Major resurfacing work will take place on Darlington roads over the coming months to prevent potholes.

Darlington Borough Council has outlined plans for several improvement schemes across the borough as part of an ongoing commitment to make local roads safer.

A further 4.644km of surfacing work will take place before April 2026, including improvements on Neasham Road and Milbank Road, as well as footpaths on Clifton Road and Bates Avenue.

Sections of the A67 Sadberge Road, Carmel Road and West Auckland Road have all been resurfaced in recent months.

Libby McCollom, cabinet member for local services, said: “Our teams have been working hard throughout the summer months. As in previous years, they have completed as much work as possible during the school holidays when the roads are quieter. I know roadworks can be inconvenient for drivers but this work is essential to ensure our roads remain fit for purpose.”

More than £660,000 has been spent filling in 12,000 potholes in Darlington in the last two years.

A total of 14,442 potholes were reported to the local authority in the last two full financial years.

Cllr McCollom added: “This resurfacing work is in addition to work to repair potholes and hopefully this preventative work will prolong the life of these stretches of road.”

It comes after the Government announced a crackdown on the ‘pothole plague’ across the country, demanding councils prove their progress or risk losing cash.

A £1.6 billion investment fund was allocated to tackle the scourge of potholes across local authorities from April and all councils are required to publish annual progress reports.

Full list of Darlington roads set for repairs:

Neasham Road

Whessoe Road/ Longfield Road

Parkside

Clifton Road footway

Crown Street, East Street, Quebec Street

Milbank Road

Lime Lane

Bates Avenue Footway

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.