Highways and potholes have been, rightly, a significant concern for local residents. To that end, this information helps set the context and activity from DCC – against a backdrop of significant lack of funds provided by Government to meet decades of underfunding of our road network. The stats quoted are valid at 30 March 2026.
Following one of the toughest winters in recent memory, Devon County Council has approved an additional £3 million to tackle the surge in potholes and weather‑related damage across the network.
This extra investment will help accelerate:
- Reactive pothole repairs
- Winter gritting
- Storm‑recovery works
- Emergency coastal responses in areas such as Slapton, Torcross and Beesands
This sits alongside major planned investment for 2026–27, including:
- £36+ million for highways maintenance
- £100+ million for preventative works
All aimed at increasing the long‑term resilience of Devon’s 8,000‑mile road network.
With 15 freeze thaw cycles between November and mid February, this winter accelerated deterioration across the network. This winter has been one of the most difficult in recent years
As a result:
- Pothole levels peaked at around 3,000 awaiting repair (now reduced to 2,400).
- Public reporting surged with frequently 500+ reports per day, with a peak of 668 on 2 February.
To manage these unprecedented volumes, several steps were taken:
- Pausing all non‑safety works in December to prioritise urgent repairs.
- Temporarily suspending planned works before Christmas to free up crews
- Deploying over 50 gangs, including weekend and extended hours work to reduce backlogs.
DCC contractor’s gangs have been completing 500 repairs per week with inspectors triaging a similar volume of reports.
This coordinated effort has significantly reduced the backlog.
- Over 34,000 reports received since 1 November, but 27% were duplicates, slowing response times.
When using DCC’s online map to report potholes and other defects, please remind people to add their details to existing reports where possible to obtain an update rather than creating duplicate reports